Heart Rate Tracking

Monitor resting, walking, and current heart rate for cardiovascular health assessment

What is Heart Rate?

Heart rate is the number of times your heart beats per minute (bpm). It's measured at different activity levels:

  • Resting Heart Rate - Measured when completely at rest, ideally in the morning before getting out of bed
  • Walking Heart Rate - Average heart rate during steady walking activity
  • Current Heart Rate - Real-time measurement at any given moment

Why Heart Rate Matters

Resting heart rate is a general marker of cardiovascular fitness and overall health:

  • Lower resting HR often indicates better cardiovascular fitness
  • Elevated resting HR may signal stress, illness, or cardiovascular issues
  • Changes in resting HR can indicate changes in fitness level or health status
  • Walking HR helps assess cardiovascular response to mild activity

Typical Heart Rate Ranges

Resting Heart Rate (Adults)

Normal range: 60-100 bpm (Mayo Clinic)

  • <60 bpm - Bradycardia (can be normal in athletes, but consult clinician if symptomatic)
  • 60-100 bpm - Normal range for adults
  • >100 bpm - Tachycardia (consult clinician, especially if persistent)

Factors Affecting Heart Rate

  • Age - resting HR generally decreases with age
  • Fitness level - trained athletes often have lower resting HR (40-60 bpm)
  • Medications - beta blockers and other drugs affect HR
  • Temperature - heat can elevate HR
  • Emotions and stress - anxiety raises HR
  • Caffeine and stimulants - increase HR temporarily
  • Dehydration - can elevate HR

How Cardio Analytics Uses Heart Rate Data

  • Charts resting and walking HR trends - Visualize changes over time (days, weeks, months)
  • Flags persistent bradycardia/tachycardia - Alerts based on personalized thresholds
  • Compares to guideline ranges - Mayo Clinic normal range indicators (60-100 bpm)
  • Medication correlations - See how medications (e.g., beta blockers) affect your heart rate
  • Symptom correlations - Log symptoms and identify patterns with HR changes

📊 Track trends, not single readings: Resting HR varies day-to-day. Focus on long-term patterns rather than isolated measurements.

HealthKit Data Types

Cardio Analytics reads heart rate data from Apple HealthKit using these identifiers:

  • HKQuantityTypeIdentifier.heartRate - Current heart rate (counts/min) (Apple Docs)
  • restingHeartRate - Resting heart rate baseline (Apple Docs)
  • walkingHeartRateAverage - Average HR during walking (Apple Docs)

Learn More About HealthKit Integration

Scientific References

  1. Mayo Clinic. What's a normal resting heart rate? https://www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/expert-answers/heart-rate/faq-20057979

View All References

Track Your Heart Rate with Cardio Analytics

Monitor resting, walking, and current heart rate with evidence-based alerts and trend analysis.

Download on App Store