Lower the resting heart rate

Dr Sudhir Kumar MD DM
@hyderabaddoctor
·
Jun 20
2/n
The biggest factor was running.
🔸For the first 2 years, I averaged 10–15 km/day. Over the last few years, I have averaged 6-8 km/day.
🔸Regular aerobic exercise trains the heart to pump more blood with each beat, so it doesn’t need to beat as often at rest.
Dr Sudhir Kumar MD DM
@hyderabaddoctor
·
Jun 20
3/n
Weight loss also played a major role.
🔸I reduced my weight from 100 kg to 71 kg (-29 kg).
🔸Excess body weight increases cardiac workload and sympathetic nervous system activity. Weight reduction often leads to a lower resting heart rate.
Dr Sudhir Kumar MD DM
@hyderabaddoctor
·
Jun 20
4/n
Sleep was another important factor.
🔸Earlier I used to sleep 5–6 hours/night. Now, I sleep 7–8 hours/night.
🔸Poor sleep is associated with higher sympathetic (“fight-or-flight”) activity and a higher resting heart rate. Better sleep allows the body to recover and the autonomic nervous system to rebalance.
Dr Sudhir Kumar MD DM
@hyderabaddoctor
·
Jun 20
5/n
What is a normal resting heart rate?
🔸For most adults, the ‘normal’ resting HR is 60–100 bpm.
🔸However, many healthy and physically active individuals have resting heart rates between 40–60 bpm.
🔸Elite endurance athletes may be even lower.
Dr Sudhir Kumar MD DM
@hyderabaddoctor
·
Jun 20
6/n
How can you lower your resting heart rate?
✅ Regular aerobic exercise (walking, running, cycling, swimming)
✅ Weight loss if overweight or obese
✅ Better sleep
✅ Smoking cessation
✅ Stress reduction (Yoga, meditation, breathing exercises)
✅ Abstaining from alcohol
✅
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Dr Sudhir Kumar MD DM
@hyderabaddoctor
·
Jun 20
7/n
Why does a lower resting heart rate matter?
🔸Because it is often a marker of better cardiovascular fitness and autonomic balance.
🔸A lower resting heart rate generally reflects a more efficient heart that can pump more blood with fewer beats.
Dr Sudhir Kumar MD DM
@hyderabaddoctor
·
Jun 20
8/n
Multiple large studies have shown a dose-response relationship:
✅As resting heart rate rises, the risk of cardiovascular disease, heart failure, stroke, and premature death also tends to increase.
✅In general, lower resting heart rates are associated with better long-term
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Dr Sudhir Kumar MD DM
@hyderabaddoctor
·
Jun 20
9/n
✅A meta-analysis involving more than a million individuals found that every 10 bpm increase in resting heart rate was associated with a significant increase in all-cause and cardiovascular mortality.
🔸The relationship is remarkably consistent across populations.