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Exercise & fitness

Resting heart rate

DERuheherzfrequenz

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Resting heart rate (RHR) is the number of heartbeats per minute at full rest, ideally measured supine after several minutes of quiet rest or upon waking, and is influenced by caffeine, illness, medications, and sleep. Trained individuals typically have lower RHR through a combination of intrinsic sinoatrial node remodeling (notably downregulation of the HCN4 'funny' channel, which persists after autonomic blockade) and elevated vagal/parasympathetic tone, with increased stroke volume as a parallel cardiac adaptation. Epidemiological data (e.g., Aune 2017) link elevated RHR with higher cardiovascular and all-cause mortality, making it a simple biomarker of cardiorespiratory health and recovery.

Sources

  1. Cooney MT, Vartiainen E, Laatikainen T, Juolevi A, Dudina A, Graham IM. (2010). Elevated resting heart rate is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease in healthy men and women. *American Heart Journal*doi:10.1016/j.ahj.2009.12.029
  2. Kannel WB, Kannel C, Paffenbarger RS Jr, Cupples LA. (1987). Heart rate and cardiovascular mortality: the Framingham Study. *American Heart Journal*doi:10.1016/0002-8703(87)90666-1
  3. Aune D, Sen A, ó'Hartaigh B, Janszky I, Romundstad PR, Tonstad S, Vatten LJ. (2017). Resting heart rate and the risk of cardiovascular disease, total cancer, and all-cause mortality – A systematic review and dose–response meta-analysis of prospective studies. *Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases*doi:10.1016/j.numecd.2017.04.004