9 Reasons Your Resting Heart Rate Is High & How To Lower It Naturally

If you’ve discovered that your resting heart rate is high, there are several things you can try to lower it naturally. Here are some ways to lower it over time, from cardiologists.

Several studies have connected a low resting heart rate with overall health and longevity1. On the flip side, a high resting rate is considered an independent risk factor2 for heart disease in otherwise healthy people.

“You can measure your resting heart rate by taking your pulse on your wrist over the radial artery or on the side of the neck with the carotid artery. The most accurate way to measure the heart rate would be to count the number of beats over a full minute, but a shortcut that is generally accurate as long as you are in normal sinus rhythm is to measure the number of beats over 15 seconds and multiply by four,” says Twyman.

Anything over 100 bpm is considered a high resting heart rate for adults.

There are several reasons your resting heart rate may be high, and they run the gamut from acute stress and anxiety to chronic underlying health problems. Here are some of the most common.

When you’re dehydrated, you have a lower blood volume3, and “lower blood volume means you have to move it around faster to keep up with the body’s demands,” says Klodas. This can translate to an increased heart rate since your heart has to work harder.

Fight-or-flight emotions like anxiety can also trigger acute spikes in heart rate4. If anxiety and stress are chronic, it can cause your heart rate to remain high over time. “Stress and fear cause release of hormones that enhance sympathetic tone and the fight-or-flight response,” says Klodas.

Anemia is a condition in which your body has fewer red blood cells than normal. “If you have fewer red blood cells, you need to pump blood around faster to keep oxygen delivery stable,” says Klodas.

When your thyroid is in overdrive, it produces more thyroid hormone than you need, and thyroid hormone drives faster metabolism, which drives higher heart rates, according to Klodas.

Nicotine, alcohol, and drugs all act as stimulants. Tobacco smoke also reduces circulating oxygen levels. “Both effects would be expected to raise heart rates,” says Klodas. 

Being less physically fit can also have an effect on your heart rate, but it typically goes hand in hand with other causes. “Lack of physical fitness is more of a contributor rather than the sole reason why a resting heart rate is over 100 bpm,” says Klodas.  

According to Klodas, many abnormal heart rhythms like atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter, and supraventricular tachycardia will present with high resting heart rates. “That’s because the heart rate is no longer controlled by the nervous system,” she says.

A higher-than-normal heart rate may also be a side effect of a medication you’re on. There are various possible mechanisms at play here, but it’s worth chatting to your doctor about if you’re on a prescription.

Acute illness may also temporarily raise your heart rate. “The cardiac output is the stroke volume (amount of blood ejected from the heart with each heartbeat) multiplied by the heart rate. When you are ill, the cardiac output will generally need to increase to keep up with metabolic demands of the body,” says Twyman.

In the moment, a high resting heart rate can cause physical symptoms like a racing or pounding heart, shortness of breath, and lightheadedness. If you’re looking for immediate relief, here are some ways to quickly lower your heart rate.

Here's a quick routine to try the next time your heart rate is high:

If you’re dehydrated, drinking non-caffeinated, non-alcoholic fluids can also help lower your heart rate. Mineral water6 may be especially beneficial since it can help replace lost electrolytes.

Walking in nature, scientifically referred to as “green exercise,” has also been shown to improve nighttime heart rate variability8. It can also almost-immediately enhance well-being.

This ties in with deep breathing, but research shows that meditation can also promote positive short-term changes in heart rate. In one small study9, researchers put participants into two groups. One group was new to meditation, and the other group were seasoned meditators. Each group took a 1.5-hour meditation class, with heart rate and heart rate variability measured before and after. All participants experienced a decrease in heart rate immediately after the one class. 

That being said, here are some things you can do to lower your heart rate: 

With Zone 2 cardio, stroke volume (the volume of blood your heart pumps with each beat) increases while heart rate decreases. This leads to greater cardiorespiratory endurance over time. “Increasing Zone 2 cardio exercise will over time help keep a lower heart rate as the mitochondria become more efficient11 at energy production,” says Twyman.

This has a lot to do with the deep breathing12 associated with the practice, but over time, yoga can also improve parasympathetic activity and decrease that fight-or-flight response. In one study13 looking at people who already had existing heart failure, a 12-week yoga practice decreased heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen consumption.

Heart coherence is when all your body’s systems—breathing, brain rhythm, hormonal response, and heart rhythms, are in sync with each other. This can help you manage your emotional responses14, which have an impact on your heart rate. HeartMath, a coherence training program, is one of the main modalities Twyman recommends for long-term heart rate control.  

Since alcohol and nicotine can both increase resting heart rate, avoiding them (or limiting them as much as possible) can help you lower RHR over the long-term.

Certain blood pressure medications, such as beta-blockers and calcium channel-blockers, will also lower one’s heart rate. These medications will also make achieving a heart rate target harder during exercise. If you are on blood pressure medication and are concerned about its effect on your heart rate, consult with your doctor.

Twyman adds that if you want to get an accurate picture of what’s going on, it’s best to measure HRV when you are in a relaxed state, and your resting heart rate is at its lowest. “During exercise, when the heart rate increases with workload, the HRV will become very low as the sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system is activated,” he says.

However, Klodas says that some variability in heart rate is normal, and some people may naturally have a resting heart rate that’s over 100 bpm. “Not everyone fits neatly within the normal range. Just like healthy individuals can have lower than normal resting heart rates, other healthy individuals can have heart rates that are slightly higher than normal,” she says.

A low resting heart rate is typically associated with overall health and longevity, while a high resting heart rate can increase your risk of heart disease and other related issues. The goal is to incorporate regular practices, like Zone 2 cardio training, yoga, and heart rhythm coherence training, that can slowly lower your heart rate over time. But while you’re working toward this, you can quickly lower your resting heart rate by deep breathing, hydrating, and taking a walk in nature.