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Adrianna Marcovecchio

Mrs. Stevens

Physical Science

12 December 2018

How Much Does Age Affect a Person’s Heart Rate Recovery?

What does a fast or slow heart rate recovery tell you? Well the faster your heart rate

recovery is, the more fit you are. But what determines if your heart rate recovery is fast or slow?

Research has shown that your fitness level, you surroundings, and what you eat do affect it. I

wanted to know if age was also a factor. I thought that ​if people of different ages all do the same

exercise, then age will slightly affect a person's heart rate recovery.

How Do You Measure Heart Rate?

Heart rate is measured in number of heart beats per minute (​Sangera).​ It is normal for a

person to have anywhere from 60-100 beats per minute when resting. In order to find a person’s

max heart rate use this calculation: 220 - your age (​Your)​. One way to find your heart rate is by

feeling the pulse in the person's wrist. Hold a finger on the wrist for one minute and count how

many pulses your feel. This not the most accurate way to find heart rate. To find heart rate

accurately you should use a heart rate sensor .(​Sangera)

Why Does Exercising Affect Heart Rate?

Exercising affects your heart rate because exercise causes the body to need more oxygen

and blood. The heart is what pumps the blood and oxygen throughout your body. When a person

exercises their heart works faster than normal. This is because the heart is pumping faster.

Therefore your heart rate is raised (​Sangera)​. Your heart rate can tell you powerful you are
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exercising. If your heart rate is higher that mean you are exercising vigorously (​Mayo).

Why Does Age Affect Heart Rate?

Age affects many things in your body. It affects many muscles and your heart is a muscle

so age also affects the heart. Age makes the heart slower and weaker. It makes the hearts reaction

time to the body slower. It makes it harder for the heart to contract and move to pump blood and

oxygen to the rest of the body (​Sangera). ​Because your heart cannot pump as fast it does not

make as many beats per minute. As you age max heart rate gets smaller no matter what. The

older you get the smaller it is (​Beverly).

Why Is Your Heart Rate So Important, And What Does It Tell You?

You only have one heart and one heart rate (​Sangera). If your heart stops working it can

affect everything else in your body (Shmerling). Your h​eart rate measures how healthy your

heart is​. A slower heart rate can be a sign of disease ​(​Sangera). A normal heart rate tells you your

heart is healthy. An unusually heart rate means it is not working properly (Shmerling).

How Much Exercising Is Required to Raise Your Heart Rate?

Not a lot of exercise is required. Something as simple as walking up several flights of

stairs can raise heart rate (​Sangera)​. Pretty much any exercise from a short walk to a long swim

or sprint (​LeWine)​. The more you exercise the higher your heart rate goes​ ​(​Sangera)​. As you do

different things your heart rate changes. It could change every minute depending on what you are

doing. If you exercise frequently than your standing heart rate will slow down (​LeWine).

What Additional Factors Can Affect Someone's Heart Rate?

Many things can affect your heart rate. One example is nerves, such as being scared or

anxious ​ ​(​Sangera)​. Things like how you are feeling emotionally or the body of your position can
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affect it. Caffeine or the temperature of your body are other factors that changes your heart rate

(​How). Some medications can stop the slow of ​adrenaline which then slows your heart rate

down. On the other hand other medications can speed up your heart rate. ​Your surrounding air

temperature can also affect it. When the temperature or humidity around you goes up your heart

rate does because you heart has to pump more blood to your body (All).

I thought that ​if people of different ages all do the same exercise, then age will slightly

affect a person's heart rate recovery, and I found out that age does affect the recovery. ​The

average heart rate recovery for people in their 50’s to 40’s was 49.25 b/min. The average

recovery for teens was 60.8 b/min. The older people had a worse heart rate recovery than

younger people.This proved that the older you get the worse your heart rate recovery becomes.
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Work Cited

“All About Heart Rate (Pulse).” Translated by The American Heart Association, ​About Heart Attacks​,

2015,

www.heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blood-pressure/the-facts-about-high-blood-pressure/all

-about-heart-rate-pulse​.

Beverly, Jonathan. “Getting Older Affects Your Max Heart Rate (But That’s OK!).” ​Fitbit Blog,​ 5

Oct. 2017, blog.fitbit.com/max-heart-rate-by-age/

“How to Take Your Pulse (Plus Target Heart Rates to Aim For).” Edited by Gerhard Whitworth,

Health Line ​, Healthline Media, 18 July 2018,

www.healthline.com/health/how-to-check-heart-rate

LeWine, Howard, and M.D. “Increase in Resting Heart Rate Is a Signal Worth Watching.” ​Harvard

Health Blog,​ 12 Mar. 2018,

www.health.harvard.edu/blog/increase-in-resting-heart-rate-is-a-signal-worth-watching-2

01112214013

Mayo Clinic Staff. “Can You Sing While You Work out?” ​Mayo Clinic​, Mayo Foundation for Medical

Education and Research, 12 June 2018,

www.mayoclinic.org/healthy-lifestyle/fitness/in-depth/exercise-intensity/art-20046887

Sangera, Rick. “Science Fair Interview.” 8 Nov. 2018

Shmerling, Robert H. “How's Your Heart Rate and Why It Matters?” ​Harvard Health Blog​, 2017,

www.health.harvard.edu/heart-health/hows-your-heart-rate-and-why-it-matters

“Your Heart Rate.” Edited by James Beckerman, ​WebMD,​ WebMD, 1 June 2018,

www.webmd.com/heart-disease/heart-failure/watching-rate-monitor#1