Your heart rate when you wake up tells you how you are today. It tells you your physical fitness, your nutritional fitness and how you slept last night.

Heart rate measured first thing in the morning is called ‘Basal Heart Rate.’ That’s the best time to measure Resting Heart Rate.

In general, the lower the basal resting heart rate, the better.

To learn more about programs Herd Healthcare offers, our website is:
www.herdhealthcare.com

The Heart

Heart muscle keeps contracting and relaxing rhythmically without ever stopping. Unlike other muscles, healthy heart muscle never gets tired.

4 chambers with one-way valves are connected in a double pump. They move blood from peripheral veins to the lungs and then to the rest of the body. The first pump moves blood into the lungs where it gets rid of carbon dioxide and picks up oxygen. Then the blood returns to the heart where it is pumped to every other organ.

The heart is not a suction pump. Blood only moves from higher pressure to lower pressure. Along the way, external pressures from skeletal muscles and elastic forces in arteries help move blood to and from the heart. In the whole day and night, the heart pumps all the blood through the body more than 1,200 times.

Pacemaker cells in the heart initiate rhythmic contractions without stimulation from nerves. They are located in one of the top chambers. When stimulated, the top chambers contract to move blood into the lower chambers. Then the lower chambers contract to move blood into the lungs and the rest of the body. Without stimulation from nerves, the heart contracts spontaneously about 100 times a minute.

The electrical signals arising in the heart can be detected from the skin surface. Detected and recorded, they make an electrocardiogram.

Nerves affect the rate of contractions. Although contractions arise in the heart itself, the nervous system speeds and slows the rate of contractions. Under normal conditions, the vagus nerve slows the rate and the spinal nerves increase the rate. At rest, the normal heart rate of contractions is slowed to less than 70 times a minute.

Hormones also affect rate of contractions. Epinephrine and norepinephrine released from the adrenal gland, speed the rate. Thyroid hormone also increases the rate of contractions. Hypothyroidism decreases heart rate.

Insulin acts in the brain to stimulate spinal nerves and increase the rate of contractions. Insulin resistance with increased levels of sugar, fat and insulin in the blood causes increased heart rates.

Measure Heart Rate

Each contraction of the heart creates pressure on the blood in its chambers. The brief pressure forces blood out into arteries. When the heart contraction stops, valves close holding the pressure out of the heart while it relaxes. Each brief contraction creates a pulsation that can be detected in the arteries.

Pulse rate, the rate of pulsations in an artery, is the most common way to measure heart rate. It can be detected at the wrist, neck, ankle, foot or in the groin. All that’s needed is a watch with a second hand or a digital display of seconds. A digital stopwatch is more convenient.

Measuring pulse rate at your own wrist, put your index and middle fingers on the front side of your opposite wrist just below the base of your thumb.                                                            

Count each pulsation you feel starting with 0 then 1, 2, 3 …. to at least 10 for at least 10 or 15 seconds. Count for 10 seconds and multiply by 6 to calculate beats per min. If you count for 15 seconds, multiply by 4 to calculate beats per minute.

Measuring pulse rate of someone else, always use your index and middle fingers. Don’t use your thumb. It’s possible to feel the pulse in your own thumb when its pressed against someone else’s wrist.

Optical techniques measure change in color of skin under a sensor. Change in skin color with each pulsation can be detected at the wrist using a wrist band. It also can be measured using a finger clip or a camera on a smartphone with a mobile app.

Electrocardiogram is the most accurate technique. It detects the electrical activity associated with stimulation and contraction of cardiac muscle. However, it requires a chest strap or connections with two limbs to record electrical impulses from the heart.

Resting heart rate is measured after resting at least 10 minutes in a quiet, dimly lit room. Measure by counting pulse rate first thing in the morning. Best of all is to measure it lying down, before even getting out of bed.

Increase In Resting Heart Rate And Mortality

High resting heart rate (RHR) is known to be associated with increased risk for cardiovascular disease. Clinical studies also have shown that an increase in RHR increases the risk of mortality.

In Norway, a prospective, 20-year follow-up study tested effects of increased (RHR) resting heart rates and deaths. Approximately 30,000 men and women were examined and followed. Subjects with a RHR of less than 70 beats/min were checked again approximately 10 years later. Death rates were checked about 10 years later still.

Those who had an increase in RHR to greater than 85 beats/min at the second measurement had a 50% increase in risk of death from all causes.

In Sweden, a prospective, 21-year follow-up study tested effects of increased RHR in men aged 50 years. Subjects were checked in 1993, 2003 and 2014.

Those with RHR over 75 beats/min had 100% greater risk of all-cause death than those with RHR less than 55 beats/min.

Physical Fitness, Resting Heart Rate And Mortality

Good physical fitness has been well demonstrated to cause a low resting heart rate. Also, high resting heart rate is associated with increased risk of death. The question is whether high resting heart rate indicates poor health just because of poor physical fitness.

The Copenhagen Male Study began in 1970. Approximately 3,000 healthy, middle-aged employed men were recruited, examined and followed for 16 years. RHR was strongly related to physical fitness and mortality. Men with RHR>90 beats/min had three times the risk of mortality compared to men with RHR <50. Risk of mortality increased 16% for every 10 beats/min.

Statistical models were used to separate the effects of physical fitness, physical activity, other risk factors and smoking. Results indicated that RHR had an effect on death rate as an independent risk factor.

Resting Heart Rate and Insulin Sensitivity

Level of insulin in blood also affects Resting Heart Rate. Laboratory studies show that high levels of insulin in blood circulating through the brain cause stimulation of nerves to the heart. Results from many clinical studies suggest that RHR indicates the effects of the autonomic nervous system on the heart. In particular, the relation of fasting insulin levels on RHR could help explain the results of many clinical studies.

The Insulin Resistance Atherosclerosis Study included approximately 1,000 men and women who did not have diabetes. Also, none were taking medications that influence heart rate. All had physical examination with measurements of height, weight, waist to hip ratio (WHR) and maximum waist circumference (mWC). All had blood drawn after 12 hours without food and all had an oral glucose tolerance test. Correlation analyses showed RHR was significantly related to BMI, WHR, mWC, fasting blood glucose, fasting insulin, and insulin sensitivity.

These results provide an explanation for the relation of RHR to nutritional fitness. RHR after sleeping overnight is an indicator of abnormal high levels of insulin in fasting blood samples.

Summary

Basal Heart Rate is measured first thing in the morning. That’s the best time to measure Resting Heart Rate (RHR).

The heart contracts spontaneously about 100 times a minute. Under normal conditions, the vagus nerve slows the rate and the spinal nerves increase the rate.

RHR over 75 beats/min had 100% greater risk of all-cause death than those with RHR less than 55 beats/min

Good physical fitness has been well demonstrated to cause a low RHR.

Insulin acts in the brain to stimulate spinal nerves and increase the rate of contractions.

RHR after sleeping overnight is an indicator of abnormal high levels of insulin in fasting blood samples.
We are pleased to share our blog articles with you, and we are always interested to hear from our readers. Our website address is: www.herdhealthcare.com

Reflex control of heart rate depends on healthy neural, metabolic, hormonal and muscular function. Much more than just good health of heart and blood vessels.

We look for low Heart Rate while resting, prompt increase when exercise begins and quick reduction when it ends.

Improved Heart Rate Responses tell us Type 2 Diabetes is reversing.

To learn more about programs Herd Healthcare offers, our website is:
www.herdhealthcare.com

Reflex Control Of Cardiovascular And Renal Function

Circulation of blood is tightly controlled. Pressure sensors in the arteries of the neck are connected to the brain. From there, reflex signals are sent by nerves to the heart and blood vessels all over the body. Reflexes increase and decrease heart rate and amounts of blood pumped by each beat of the heart. Arteries and veins are contracted and relaxed to control where blood flows and how much is returned to the heart.

Cardiac Nerves control heart rate and strength of contraction. There are different connections to slow down and speed up the heart.

Signals to slow down are carried in the vagus nerve. Those signals act very quickly and stop just as quickly. When everything is functioning well, the heart rate is low during rest and recovers quickly when exercise ends.

Signals to speed up and strengthen contractions are carried in separate para-spinal nerves. Signals carried by para-spinal nerves to the heart increase its rate at rest, augment its rate and strength during exercise and prolong its recovery when exercise ends.

The signals to speed and slow the heart are quite separate. Signals to slow the heart act very quickly and stop just as quickly. Signals to speed and strengthen the heart act more slowly.

The Figure below illustrates how poor health affects Heart Rate during exercise and recovery from exercise. Cardiac para-spinal nerves increase heart rate before exercise begins and slow the rate of recovery when exercise ends. Cardiac nerves that decrease heart rate act more quickly.

When poor health disturbs the function of organs and tissues, the brain sends signals everywhere that alter metabolism, muscle contraction and hormone secretion. Signals carried by para-spinal nerves to the heart increase its rate at rest, augment its rate and strength during exercise and prolong its recovery when exercise ends.

The heart rate recovery after exercise indicates poor health and high risk of disease and premature death. One of the early studies of this indicator was reported by clinical investigators in Cleveland.

Men and women referred into the Department of Cardiology were examined and then followed for 6 years. A total of 2,428 men and women with an average age of 57 years were included. They were studied with exercise test, tomography and radioactive scintigraphy.

Immediately after peak heart rate was reached during exercise testing, patients continued to walk slowly for several minutes. The median value for heart rate recovery was 17 beats per minute. As shown in the Figure, those with an abnormal value equal to or less than 12 beats per minute were at increased risk of death in the next 6 years. Their survival rate was about 50%. Those with a recovery rate equal to or less than 5 beats per minute were at about 75% risk of death during follow-up.

More recent studies have examined heart rate recovery immediately after stopping exercise. They showed that rapid decrease in the first 10 seconds after stopping is the strongest predictor of good health and prolonged life. The decrease in the first 10 seconds shows the strength of signals slowing the heart rate.

A low resting heart rate and quick heart rate recovery after exercise both signal good health.

Change in Body position also affects cardiac function. When lying down, blood flows easily from veins in the legs and abdomen back to the heart. When standing, blood pools in legs and abdomen until veins constrict and push blood back up to the heart. The short time it takes to adjust circulation when lying down or standing up causes blood pressure to increase or decrease.

Heart rate responds quickly to abrupt changes in blood pressure. How quickly heart responds tells us something about general health as well as cardiovascular function.

Clinical investigators in the UK have studied effects of body position on heart rate in about 30 normal men and women and 25 patients with type 2 diabetes.

The first Figure shows how heart rate decreased upon lying down. The initial upward surge in heart rate was caused by muscular movements displacing blood from veins into the heart. During the first minute, heart rates in patients with diabetes was not much affected because the signals to slow the heart were countered by signals maintaining high resting heart rates.

Lying down caused a decrease in heart rates of normal subjects and patients with diabetes. However, the normal subjects had a pronounced effect from withdrawing stimuli to slow heart rate while muscles contracted during change in posture.

The second Figure shows how heart rate increased upon standing up. Again, the initial upward surge in heart rate was caused by muscular movements displacing blood into the heart. The patients with diabetes had gradual adjustment to the higher heart rate. However, the normal subjects quickly adjusted to a new higher heart rate.

Here, again, a low resting heart rate and quick heart rate recovery after change in body position both indicated normal good health.

Measurement of heart rate at rest and during change in body position gives useful information without strenuous exercise testing.

Renal Nerves also are affected by reflex nerve adjustments to changes in health and normal function. The excretion of sodium and potassium are affected by reflex nerve stimulation.

Also, the same reflexes that increase heart rate and strength of contraction, activate the renin-angiotensin system. This system is critical in the regulation of sodium balance, fluid balance and blood pressure regulation.

Reflex Control Of Hormones And Metabolism

Adrenal glands also are affected by abnormal reflex nerve stimulation. The outer regions of adrenal glands release cortisol and other hormones which regulate metabolism.

The inner regions of adrenal glands release hormones which augment and prolong the effects of nerves like those stimulating heart rate and strength of contraction.

The Pancreas also is controlled by reflex nerve stimulation. The vagus nerve which acts to slow the heart beat also acts to increase secretion of insulin. The para-spinal nerves which act to increase heart rate also act to decrease insulin secretion.

Summary

Reflex control of heart rate and strength of contraction is well known. It’s an important part of adjusting to exercise, posture and ambient temperature. We’re also aware of connections between cardiovascular function, mood and emotions.

We’re less aware of long-lasting connections between reflex nerve stimulation, metabolism, hormonal activity, muscular contraction and cardiovascular function.

Heart rate and response to exercise, posture and sleep indicate present quality of health and prospects for future good health.

A low basal heart rate and quick, substantial heart rate responses during the day all signal good health.

We are pleased to share our blog articles with you, and we are always interested to hear from our readers. Our website address is: www.herdhealthcare.com

A difference of 10 bpm indicates 10% more or less risk of poor health. Above 70 bpm predicts average to awful. Less than 60 bpm indicates good to superb.

Moderate physical activity and calorie restraint make a difference. Just be sure to check your plans with your personal physician.

To learn more about programs Herd Healthcare offers, our website is:
www.herdhealthcare.com

Measuring Basal Heart Rate

Heart Rate is the number of times the heart beats every minute. Specialized cells in pacing regions of the heart keep the heart beating no matter what. Additional control comes from metabolism, neural stimulation and circulating hormones.

Things happen all day that affect control of heart rate. The fewest minute to minute changes from outside the heart happen during sleep. That rhythm while sleeping is Basal Heart Rate.

The best time to measure Basal Heart Rate is immediately after waking up. Even before getting out of bed to go to the bathroom. Later in the day, Resting Heart Rate can be measured after 10 minutes of lying down comfortably in a quiet room, eyes closed and undisturbed by light, sound or movement. But it’s never quite the same as during sleep.

During the day, heart rate is affected by hydration, food, caffeine, alcohol, physical activity, hunger, posture, ambient temperature, emotions and anxiety, psychological stress and alertness. Conditions are never the same as just after several hours of sleep.

If you want to know basal heart rate and whether something is affecting health, measure basal heart rate 5 mornings in a row and calculate the average. After 3 weeks, do it again and compare the average values. A difference of 10 bpm indicates 10% improvement or regression in state of health.

Significance Of Basal Heart Rate

Normal Range for Resting Heart Rate (RHR) changes slightly with age. As shown in the Figure, average values are between 70 and 75 bpm.

People at any age with RHR above 80 bpm have poor health and a poor outlook for disease, disability and premature death.

In contrast, people with RHR below 65 bpm have expectations for continued good health.

Basal Heart Rate is associated with Metabolic Syndrome, Type 2 Diabetes, Heart Disease, Stroke, Cancer, Dementia, Depression and Anxiety.

Mortality and Resting Heart Rate (RHR) has been studied. Results were reported for 798 men in Sweden who were 50 years of age when recruited. Examinations were done several times during the next 21 years.

Men with RHR over 75 beats per minute at 50 years of age had twice as high risk of all-cause death, cardiovascular disease and coronary heart disease during 21 years of follow-up compared with men with RHR of 55 beats per minute or below.

The relative risk with 10 beats/min increase of resting heart rate was +9% for all-cause mortality and +8% for cardiovascular mortality.

Compared with 45 beats/min, the risk of all-cause mortality increased significantly with increasing RHR. A significantly increased risk of cardiovascular mortality was seen at 90 beats/min.

Risk for Type 2 Diabetes also has been studied. A large cohort of 73,357 people in Asia was studied for 4 years. None of the participants had diabetes at the time of recruitment into the study.

During the next 4 years, 24% of the people developed prediabetes and 6% developed diabetes.
The Figure shows that the top 20% of people who had the highest average RHR of 88 bpm had almost 50% more diabetes than the lowest 20% of people who had RHR of 61 bpm.

Features Associated With Resting Heart Rate (RHR)

Physical Fitness is strongly related to RHR. Furthermore, both physical fitness and RHR are related to Mortality.

A total of 2,790 subjects in Denmark were followed for 16 years. As shown in the Figure, physical fitness was inversely related to RHR. Assessment of physical fitness included measurement of maximum oxygen consumption during graded exercise tolerance test.

Both physical fitness and RHR were strongly related to mortality. However, statistical analysis demonstrated that RHR also had an independent relation to mortality.

Insulin Resistance also is strongly related to RHR. Both insulin resistance and resting heart rate are associated with increased sympathetic nervous system activity. Therefore, it is not surprising that Increased Insulin Resistance is associated with Increased Resting Heart Rate.

A population of 460 patients in 4 US communities were examined for Insulin Resistance, Resting Heart Rate and Waist Circumference. All of them had moderate kidney disease.

The subjects were divided into 4 groups according to Resting Heart Rate. Insulin Resistance was calculated from values for insulin and glucose measured in blood collected during fasting.

As can be seen in the Table, subjects with RHR greater than 90 bpm had more than twice the level of Insulin Resistance as those with RHR less than 60 bpm.

These data do not indicate whether RHR was caused by Insulin Resistance or excess visceral fat. It also is possible that both RHR and Insulin Resistance were caused by increased Sympathetic Nervous System Activity.

Whatever the cause for increased Resting Heart Rate, it all probably begins with excess toxic levels of sugar and fat in the blood. Excess simply can’t be cleared into glycogen and triglyceride stores in muscle and liver. The end result is increased Sympathetic Nervous System activity and increased Basal Heart Rate.

Managing Basal Heart Rate

Moderate physical activity and calorie restraint are basic principles of good health for everybody. How much physical activity and which nutrients to add or restrict must be discussed with your personal physician.

Heart and blood vessel disease, kidney disease, joint disease and gastrointestinal disease all have to be taken care of in special ways. If you’re injecting insulin or other medication to control blood sugar, you must balance exercise, calorie intake and medication. If you’re increasing intake of protein, your kidneys must handle added waste products from protein metabolism. Everything must be checked out before you make big changes in nutrition and physical activity.

An Exercise Stress Test gives good information for everybody. It provides a baseline for exercise training. It shows how much your muscles and joints will tolerate. It reveals limits of exertion for your heart and blood vessels you and your doctor might not know about.

Most people don’t need an Exercise Stress Test before they start exercise training. However, it is essential for some people. Just be sure to ask your personal physician for advice what to do.

Exercise Training is the most direct way to lower Basal Heart Rate. A consistent regular exercise training program can decrease Basal Heart Rate in 2 or 3 weeks.

All types of exercise training have been studied and a review of 191 studies has been published. These studies included 12,953 individuals in treatment and control groups. Types of exercise included 121 endurance training, 43 strength training, 15 combined training and the rest were assortments of various strenuous physical activities. Subjects exercised an average of 3 times per week during 2 weeks to 2 years.

As shown in the Table, only endurance training significantly decreased the RHR in both sexes. The combination of endurance and strength training did not improve results.

Calorie restriction reverses sympathetic nervous stimulation of the heart and lowers Basal Heart Rate. Results from a clinical study of 22 men and women in the US, Canada and the UK who followed Caloric Restriction (CR) to about 1,800 kcal/day were compared to 20 age-related men and women in the US who consumed an ordinary Western Diet (WD) about 2,500 kcal/day.

Average nighttime Heart Rate while sleeping was 50 bpm in CR subjects compared to nighttime HR of 81 bpm in WD subjects. Total body fat in CR subjects was 9.9% compared to 24.3% in WD subjects.

Reversing Diabetes decreases cardiovascular risk factors including Resting Heart Rate. A clinical trial in Italy assigned 74 individuals with type 2 diabetes to hypocaloric diet or unchanged diet for 6 months.

Patients in the treatment group had significant reductions in severity of diabetes but none completely reversed their diabetes. However, patients in the treatment group had significantly greater reductions in Resting Heart Rate than patients in the control group.

Summary

High Basal Heart Rate is an indicator of chronic disease. The condition most commonly associated with high Basal Heart Rate is Metabolic Syndrome which forecasts Type 2 Diabetes.

The most effective way to reduce Basal Heart Rate is Exercise Training.

Calorie restriction which reduces % Body Fat also reduces Basal Heart Rate.

We can help you measure and evaluate your Basal Heart Rate and help you implement a plan to manage functions that control it.

We are pleased to share our blog articles with you, and we are always interested to hear from our readers. Our website address is: www.herdhealthcare.com