From the Guidelines
Yes, heart rate does change with age, and it can become harder to increase heart rate with exercise as you get older, with a decline in maximal heart rate of 1 beat/min per year, as stated in the American Heart Association's exercise standards for testing and training 1.
The maximum heart rate typically decreases with age, following the general formula of 220 minus your age, which provides a reasonable prediction of maximal heart rate response throughout the adult age span in unmedicated patients of either sex 1. This decline occurs because aging affects the sinoatrial node (the heart's natural pacemaker), reducing its sensitivity to stimulation from hormones like adrenaline. Additionally, the heart muscle itself becomes less elastic and responsive over time.
Some key points to consider include:
- An age-related decline in maximal heart rate of 8% to 10% per decade in sedentary men and women 1
- A more rapid increase in systolic blood pressure with exercise in older adults, with the age-associated rise being more pronounced in women than men 1
- A less complete emptying of the left ventricle during strenuous aerobic exercise, as reflected by a blunted increase in LV ejection fraction, due to a decrease in b-adrenergic responsiveness 1
For older adults, it may take more intense exercise to reach target heart rates, and the peak heart rate achievable will be lower than in younger years. This is a normal physiological change, not necessarily a sign of poor fitness. When exercising, older adults should focus on relative effort rather than achieving specific heart rate numbers. Despite these changes, regular physical activity remains important at all ages, and the cardiovascular system still responds positively to consistent exercise, even if the numerical response differs from younger years. If you notice extreme difficulty increasing your heart rate with exertion or unusual heart rate patterns, consult with a healthcare provider as this could indicate underlying health issues.
From the Research
Heart Rate Changes with Age
- Heart rate at rest is unchanged with aging, as stated in the study 2.
- However, physical work capacity declines with advancing age, and part of this decline is due to peripheral rather than central circulatory factors, such as a decrease in muscle mass with age 2.
- The ability to direct blood flow to muscles and the ability of muscle to utilize oxygen also decreases with age during exercise 2.
Exercise and Heart Rate
- Exercise training improves cardiac autonomic drive in young and middle-aged adults, and this benefit also extends to older adults, as shown in the study 3.
- Endurance-type exercise has a positive effect on autonomic regulation in older adults, with chronic endurance exercise leading to improvements in heart rate variability (HRV) in a linear frequency-response relationship 3.
- Higher training intensities and frequencies are more likely to improve HRV, as highlighted in the study 4.
- Heart rate variability is an indicator of the function of the autonomic nervous system (ANS), and increased HRV reflects well-functioning of autonomic control mechanism and cardiovascular health 4.
Age-Related Decline in Heart Rate Variability
- An age-related decline in HRV is not inevitable, as suggested by the study 5.
- Higher resting HRV, older age, and better sleep quality are significant predictors of psychological wellbeing, and fewer somatic and physical health symptoms 5.
- Older age and poorer general health are significant predictors of cognitive performance deficits 5.