Resting Heart Rate
Resting Heart Rate (RHR) is the number of heartbeats per minute when the body is at complete rest and not digesting food. In wearable contexts, RHR is typically measured during sleep or extended periods of inactivity when metabolic demands are minimal. The metric reflects the baseline rate at which the heart pumps blood when no additional cardiovascular output is required.
Typical Adult Ranges
beats per minute (bpm)Based on population studies. Individual needs vary by age and health status.
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Key Takeaways
Represents heart rate during deepest rest periods.
Lower values generally associated with cardiovascular fitness.
Elevation above baseline may indicate illness, stress, or incomplete recovery.
Personal trends more informative than absolute values.
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How It's Measured
Oura measures heart rate using photoplethysmography (PPG), which detects blood volume changes in finger arteries as the heart beats.
Common Influences
Cardiovascular fitness: Higher aerobic fitness is associated with lower RHR.
Deep Dive
Resting Heart Rate represents the cardiovascular system's baseline operating tempo. It reflects the minimum heart rate needed to maintain circulation and meet the body's resting metabolic requirements.
A useful framing is that RHR indicates how hard the heart works when demand is lowest. Lower RHR generally indicates the heart can pump sufficient blood volume per beat (higher stroke volume), requiring fewer beats; higher RHR indicates the heart needs more beats to achieve the same output. RHR is influenced by cardiovascular fitness, autonomic nervous system state, and acute physiological conditions.
At rest, the heart operates under parasympathetic (vagal) dominance, which slows the rate of sinoatrial node firing. The resulting heart rate reflects the balance of vagal tone (slowing) and intrinsic cardiac pacemaker activity.
Cardiovascular adaptations from endurance training increase stroke volume, allowing the heart to pump more blood per beat and maintain cardiac output with fewer beats. This is why trained athletes often have lower resting heart rates than sedentary individuals.
RHR is also affected by factors that alter autonomic balance or metabolic demand: stress increases sympathetic activity and raises RHR; illness may elevate RHR due to immune response and fever; dehydration reduces blood volume, requiring faster heart rate to maintain output.