Elevated resting heart rate

[Kelseyvarie]

My average resting heart rate has consistently been 74 bpm. This month it went up to 77 bpm. Has anyone had this happen before?

[Dominique]

Based on my observations, it is normal for your RHR to fluctuate within a range of 10 bpm or so. Here is what’s mine has been doing for the past 30 days:

It tends to go up with stress and unusual situations (for instance, travelling abroad), and down when I’m back to my normal routine. The increase in only 3 bpm in your RHR is likely no source for concern. 

[Baltoscott]

Hi @Kelseyvarie.  I wouldn't worry about it.  Your RHR is in the normal healthy range, though you may find it drops a bit as you get fitter (if you have not exercised a lot in the past). 

For any given month over the last 12 of my daily RHR looks just like @Dominique's, usually with a range of 6 to 10 bpm through the month.  Looking at the monthly averages, the change from one month to the the next is typically 0 (a couple of times) to 3 bpm (once), but usually it is just 1 or 2.  

[SunsetRunner]

Resting HR may fluctuate. There are lots of reasons to it and it isn't something abnormal ( in most of the cases 😉 ). My RHR went up 8bpm during last week. I was spending time in a very hot country ( temperatures 43-47 Celsius ), my sleep was limited to 3-4 hours a day and eventually, I got sick. Moreover, despite being ill I still performed exercising and rock climbing which didn't help and resulted with overexertion. Now I'm back to the UK and planning taking a few days of proper rest which should bring my RHR to the previous level. Nothing to worry about, a good indicator of the overall body condition.

[Heather-S]

@Kelseyvarie That's completely normal, especially as a female.  Hormones related to your menstrual cycle cause your RHR to elevate.  Lifestyle factors like diet, alcohol consumption, and stress are also a big factor.