Normal heart rate tends to do what as we get older?

Normal heart rate tends to do what as we get older?

• A. Increases
• B. Stays the same
• C. Decreases
• D. Fluctuates

Answer: (C)

The main idea here is that the heart’s ability to speed up during activity declines with age. Maximum heart rate—the fastest rate the heart can safely reach during strenuous exercise—drops as you get older, often summarized by the rule of roughly 220 minus age. So, as age increases, the peak or normal heart rate during exertion tends to decrease. Resting heart rate is more variable and affected by fitness and health, not age alone, so it doesn’t follow a fixed upward or downward trend. That makes decreasing the best fit.

The main idea here is that the heart’s ability to speed up during activity declines with age. Maximum heart rate—the fastest rate the heart can safely reach during strenuous exercise—drops as you get older, often summarized by the rule of roughly 220 minus age. So, as age increases, the peak or normal heart rate during exertion tends to decrease. Resting heart rate is more variable and affected by fitness and health, not age alone, so it doesn’t follow a fixed upward or downward trend. That makes decreasing the best fit.