• A. Approximately 40-50 times per minute
  • B. Approximately 60-80 times per minute
  • C. Approximately 100-120 times per minute
  • D. Approximately 140-160 times per minute

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Think about what you feel when you check your pulse while sitting quietly. It’s between once per second and somewhat less frequent than that.

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The correct answer is B. Approximately 60-80 times per minute.

A healthy adult heart beats on average between 60 and 80 beats per minute at rest. This is called the resting heart rate. In well-trained athletes, this can even drop to 40-50 beats per minute because their heart works more efficiently. In children, the heart rate is actually higher, often around 90-100 beats per minute. Heart rate increases during physical exercise, stress, or illness, and slows down during relaxation and sleep.

📚 More background information

Heart rate is one of the most important vital signs that doctors monitor. An adult human heart pumps approximately 5 to 6 liters of blood per minute through the body, and over an entire lifetime, it beats on average more than 2.5 billion times.

Interestingly, heart rates vary enormously between different animal species. A mouse, for example, has a heart rate of 600 beats per minute, while an elephant has only 30 beats per minute. There is a biological rule that larger animals generally have a lower heart rate.

Heart rate is influenced by the autonomic nervous system. The sympathetic branch increases heart rate (for example, during stress or danger), while the parasympathetic branch (via the vagus nerve) lowers heart rate during rest and relaxation. This explains why breathing exercises and meditation can help lower an elevated heart rate.

Factors that influence resting heart rate include age, fitness level, medications, caffeine, nicotine, emotions, and body posture. A consistently elevated resting heart rate (above 100 beats per minute) is called tachycardia and may indicate medical problems. An excessively low resting heart rate (below 60 in non-athletes) is called bradycardia.

Athletes often develop a low resting heart rate through regular training. The heart becomes stronger and can pump more blood per beat, requiring fewer beats. Cyclist Miguel Indurain, for example, had a resting heart rate of only 28 beats per minute.

You can easily measure your own heart rate by placing your fingers on your wrist or neck and counting for 15 seconds, then multiplying the number by four.