I know that small mammals like rodents have very fast heart rates and as you get larger heart rate slows. Elephants for example have a very slow heartrate.Does this correlation within a same species hold true as well?
To properly compare, have most all other factors be equal, general health,fat% muscle development, same cardiovasular fitness level ie not comparing a marathon runner with a non exerciser etc. With as many factors that is possible to remove, would statistically the larger person have a lower heartrate?
It’s true.
Generally, a larger person will have a slower heartrate. A person my size and age (155 pounds, 5’10" and 17 years old) would have a heartrate of about 70 bpm. I’ve managed to lower it to 60 bpm through a lot of obsessive running, and have recorded rates as low as 45 upon waking.
The biggest factors, excluding environmental factors like heat and humidity, are age, size and conditoning. An older person, regardless of condition, tends to have a slower heartrate than his younger counterpart.
Do you have actual data on size within a species being a major factor? And how does it rank in importance vs say age or fitness?
I’m a big person (6’5") and in OK shape, but I always have a heart rate around 76-80. But then I drink a lot of coffee and have a phobia about going to the doctor so I don’t know if anyone can get an accurate read on me unless straps a monitor on me while I sleep.
Once I checked my pulse and it was 64. I thought I was dead. Then I was told that that was somewhat normal.
I would think it’s the other way around. More blood to pump to a larger area. But then again, bigger peoples’ organs/hearts are bigger proportionally, so this doesn’t matter I guess.
The OP asked if this was true. Theoretically, why would this be true? What mechanism allows or prompts this?
My WAG is that bigger people have a lower surface area to volume ratio. I suppose another way to put it is that bigger people are better insulated (have you noticed that it’s always the provervial office-skinny-women complainig it’s always coooold?). Since mammals are
warm blooded animals, we are constantly trying to keep our bodies at a certain temperature, right? A small person would have a larger
surface area/volume ratio and thus would radiate heat away at a greater rate. Their hearts compensate by pumping warm blood faster.
Again, this is a WAG!!
If you consider kids “little people” than it is clearly true smaller people have a faster heart rate.
Hmm still havnt found a diffinative answer yet so ill put it out again. Ive tried searching google for answer and put in 4 or 5 keywords and STILL couldnt get it down to a pile that wasnt garbage. I have a arguement with my SO who is a nurse and she insists that size has no bearing on heartrate and she says she has taken the heartrate of thousands of people. She has given me the Im a nurse so i know better rap. Me not being a nurse, have a hard time defending my position even though it seems true. Can i get SOME definitive help here that is strong enough to show to her so i may win the arguement?
Here is proof.
http://www.emedhome.com/pdf/PedVitalSigns.pdf
Or do a google search for pediatric heart rate age
DrPaprika i dont think just getting childrens heart data is going to help me with sufficient proof, Is a childs heartrate faster based on size specifically or on age? This doesnt clearly enough define the variable. Maybe say an adult healthy dwarf heartrate vs larger persons to remove the age as a varible?