Factors That have An Impact On A Person’s Average Heart Rate - The
average heart rate of a resting adult is 60-100 beats per minute (bpm). Heart rate is influenced by numerous factors such as age, gender, weight, fitness level, body position, and medication use.
An infant’s
average heart rate ranges between 120 and 180 bpm. When the child reaches age one, the average becomes 95-150 bpm. The
average heart rate of five-year old children is 80-120 bpm. When the child reaches 12, however, it becomes 60-100 bpm. A lower
average heart rate, however, is expected in the eldery. This is attributed to the changes in the heart muscle as it gets older. For people who are 75 years old and above, a low heart rate of 50 bpm can be considered normal.
Studies reveal that differences in heart rate also rely on gender. Men tend to have a slightly lower
average heart rate than women because of the differences in heart size. In general, a man's heart is usually twenty-five percent larger than a woman's heart. A physically larger heart can contain an even greater volume of blood and is able to pump with less difficulty. Hence, a large heart is not required to work faster to be able to provide sufficient amounts of blood to the body. A smaller number of beats will do because of the power and effectiveness of each pumping activity.
With increased weight is a decreased heart rate. When there is too much fat deposit around the heart, the heart finds it hard to pump effectively. So it pumps even harder and faster to counteract the effect of the fats pressing on the heart walls. There comes a point, however, when the heart becomes exhausted and starts to work slower. It is for this reason that overweight people have generally lower
average heart rates.