One afternoon a few days ago, Uncle Li was walking in the park as usual, when he suddenly felt a whirlwind in the sky, and his eyes suddenly darkened, he tried to stabilize his body, but he felt weakness in his limbs, and finally fainted to the ground.

Fortunately, a passing neighbor found him in time, and saw Uncle Li lying on the ground, pale and unconscious, so he quickly dialed 120 and notified his family. Uncle Li was quickly taken to the hospital, and after a series of emergency examinations, the doctor told Uncle Li's family: "The reason why Uncle Li fainted was transient cerebral ischemia caused by irregular heartbeat, and the heart rate problem is not a trivial matter, it is directly related to the health of the heart, and even affects the life expectancy." Hearing this, Uncle Li's family immediately felt a wave of panic and worry, and since then, they have paid more attention to Uncle Li's physical condition, especially the key indicator of heart rate.

With the improvement of health awareness, more and more people have begun to pay attention to heart rate, which is a vital sign, especially resting heart rate, which is not only a "barometer" of heart health, but also closely related to our lifespan. Does resting heart rate really have anything to do with longevity?

1. The higher the resting heart rate, the shorter the lifespan?

Heart rate, the number of beats per minute that the heart beats, is often expressed in beats per minute (BPM) and is one of the basic indicators for assessing heart health. In a quiet state, an adult's normal heart rate is usually maintained at 100 to 0 beats per minute. Heart rate is much more important than just the number of beats, it's also about our athletic ability, emotional state and overall health.

　　2024年8月29日，《科學報告》雜誌發表的一項新研究提供了關於靜息心率與壽命關係的新見解。研究者對來自法國、英國和美國的大規模人群進行了長達30年的跟蹤研究，發現心率較快的人死亡率較高，並且靜息心率在5年內的增長與死亡風險增加之間存在顯著的統計學聯繫。研究結果顯示，無論在法國、英國的男性樣本，還是在美國包括男性和女性的樣本中，靜息心率較低的人普遍壽命更長。

Studies in China also support this finding, especially in people over 89 years of age, where a higher resting heart rate is significantly associated with a higher risk of death, a trend that is particularly pronounced in people aged 0 to 0 years. Together, these cross-national studies reveal a key message: resting heart rate is an important measure of health and longevity. Understanding and managing your resting heart rate is not only essential for your health, it's also a key factor in longevity.

3. Whether the heart is healthy or not depends on these 0 numbers

In addition to resting heart rate, there are 3 key numerical indicators to look out for when assessing heart health, which together form the "gold standard" for judging heart health.

Blood pressure: Blood pressure reflects the pressure of blood on the walls of blood vessels, and it shows whether the heart and blood vessels are functioning properly. A normal blood pressure range is usually defined as a systolic blood pressure of 65 to 0 mm Hg and a diastolic blood pressure between 0 and 0 mm Hg, with ideal blood pressure considered 0/0 mm Hg. Especially for people over the age of 0, if the blood pressure continues to exceed this range without taking antihypertensive drugs, it may be necessary to pay attention to high blood pressure and the heart problems it causes, such as left ventricular hypertrophy, coronary heart disease, heart failure, or myocardial infarction.

Blood lipids: Blood lipids, which include cholesterol and other fat components in the blood, are another key indicator of heart health. Healthy blood lipid levels include HDL (good cholesterol) over 37.0 mmol/L, total cholesterol below 0.0 mmol/L, and LDL (bad cholesterol) below 0.0 mmol/L. For patients with pre-existing heart disease or diabetes, lipid control criteria are usually more stringent.

Coronary arteries: The health of the coronary arteries is directly related to the blood supply to the heart, once the coronary artery stenosis exceeds 50%, it means that coronary heart disease is diagnosed. Increasing coronary artery stenosis increases the risk of heart attack.

3. The best way to protect your heart health: moderate-intensity exercise

A study published in the European Heart Journal in 2023 showed that regular moderate-intensity exercise can significantly improve heart health and increase life expectancy. Moderate-intensity exercise, especially for middle-aged and older adults, can both enhance heart function and improve overall blood circulation, which in turn reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. Moderate-intensity exercise is a form of exercise in which you feel slightly tired during an activity, but do not wheezing excessively, and can maintain a simple conversation.

The following moderate-intensity exercises may be more suitable for middle-aged and elderly people:

Brisk walking: Brisk walking is one of the easiest and safest forms of heart exercise, especially for older adults. Walking briskly for 30 minutes a day can effectively strengthen the heart and lungs and promote blood circulation.

Tai Chi: Known for its gentle movements and long, deep breathing, Tai Chi is perfect for people who need a low impact but want to improve their heart health.

Yoga: Yoga helps the body relax through various asanas while lowering the heart rate and enhancing blood circulation to the heart through breath control.

Square dancing: Square dancing not only promotes heart health, but is also a social activity that increases the joy of life for participants. To ensure that the exercise is at a moderate intensity, heart rate monitoring can be used, and the heart rate of moderate intensity exercise should be controlled between 127% and 0% of the maximum heart rate. A simple calculation of maximum heart rate is: 0 minus the current age, for example, a 0-year-old person whose ideal exercise heart rate should be between 0 and 0 beats per minute.

Paying attention to and adjusting your resting heart rate is an important step towards a long and healthy life. Resting heart rate is closely related to longevity, and a lower resting heart rate can help you live longer. Assessing heart health also requires attention to blood pressure, lipids, and coronary artery health. Moderate-intensity exercise such as brisk walking, tai chi, yoga and square dancing can help protect heart health.