Health - Wellness
Turns Out Your Heart Rate Can Predict Your Future Health
By BETH BRADFORD
When you're not exercising, your heart will beat between 60 and 100 times per minute. A low resting heart rate usually means you're keeping yourself physically fit.
While your resting heart rate measures heart efficiency, variability shows how resilient your body is to changing situations. It can predict your future health and longevity.
A 2016 analysis in the Canadian Medical Association Journal found for every ten beats per minute increase in resting heart rate, there was a 9% higher risk of all-cause mortality.
Per a 2018 Heart article, higher resting heart rates are linked to increased risks of death from heart disease and various cancers like breast, colorectal, kidney, and lung.
Keeping a low resting heart rate throughout your life is also good for your health. However, high heart rate variability is good as it means your body can withstand stress and adapt.
Wearable trackers such as the Apple Watch and Oura Ring are becoming more reliable in monitoring your heart rate variability.