States where people exercise more have lower resting heart rates
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Where Americans exercise more, resting heart rates are lower, new Apple data shows.
- The inverse is also true.
Why it matters: A lower resting heart rate is associated with better cardiovascular health and decreased risk of heart disease.
What they found: People in D.C., New York, Massachusetts and Vermont recorded some of the most exercise and lowest resting heart rates, per Apple data.
- The findings are based on more than 100,000 Apple Watch users, with state averages adjusted for age and sex.
Meanwhile, Apple Watch users in Mississippi, West Virginia, Louisiana, Arkansas and Oklahoma tracked some of the least exercise and highest resting heart rates.
- Those are the same states where heart disease rates are particularly high, per the CDC.
Yes, but: The highest state averages in the data — like Mississippi and West Virginia's 66.4 bpm — remain well within a normal resting heart rate range.
The big picture: Geographical differences in resting heart rate could reflect regional differences in not only fitness level, but also stress, sleep and dietary habits.
Bottom line: Your resting heart rate is one of the simplest signals of heart health — and the more you move, the better your numbers tend to be.
