Is a resting heart rate of 90 normal if I have anxiety?

Yes. MedlinePlus gives the normal adult resting heart rate as 60 to 100 beats per minute, so 90 is inside the range. Tell your doctor if 90 is a clear change from your usual number or if it comes with other symptoms.

Does treating anxiety lower your resting heart rate?

The studies in this article did not test that. They compared people with and without anxiety disorders at one point in time. One finding does matter for treatment: in a Brazilian study of 15,105 adults, antidepressant use was linked to a higher resting heart rate, so ask your prescriber before you judge a treatment by your pulse.

Can anxiety cause a high heart rate when you first stand up?

A large rise on standing has another possible cause. In POTS, the heart rate rises by more than 30 beats per minute or goes above 120 within 10 minutes of standing, and it usually improves when the person lies down. A doctor can test for it.

Is low heart rate variability on my watch a sign of anxiety?

Not by itself. Meta-analyses show lower resting heart rate variability in groups of people with anxiety disorders, with a small to moderate effect. One reading on one person cannot diagnose anxiety. Age and antidepressant medicines also affect the number.

Which blood tests check for other causes of a fast heart rate?

MedlinePlus lists thyroid tests such as TSH, T3, and T4 for an overactive thyroid, and a complete blood count for anemia. Your doctor chooses the tests after an exam and often adds an electrocardiogram.

Can Anxiety Raise Your Resting Heart Rate All Day?

The short answer: Yes, but the effect is usually small. In a study of 15,105 adults, people with generalized anxiety disorder had a higher resting heart rate than people without it, and the researchers called the increase small. A normal adult resting heart rate is 60 to 100 beats per minute. A resting rate that stays above 100 needs a medical check, because thyroid disease, anemia, medicines, and heart rhythm problems can cause it too.

What is a normal resting heart rate?

MedlinePlus gives the normal resting heart rate for adults as 60 to 100 beats per minute. This range includes older adults. Well-trained athletes can have a resting rate of 40 to 60.

The word "resting" has a specific meaning. MedlinePlus says you must rest for at least 10 minutes before you measure. A reading taken right after you climb stairs, or in the middle of a tense meeting, is not a resting rate.

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) defines tachycardia as a resting heart rate faster than 100 beats per minute. Most people who worry about their pulse are below that line. A rate of 85 or 90 is inside the normal range, even if it is higher than your usual number.

Can anxiety keep your heart rate high all day?

It can raise it. Anxiety makes the body release stress hormones, and the heart beats faster in response. The NHLBI lists strong emotional stress and anxiety among the things that can set off a fast or irregular heartbeat. A panic attack causes a short, sharp rise. Constant worry is different. The rise is smaller, and it can last for hours.

The best data on resting heart rate comes from Brazil. The ELSA-Brasil study recorded a 10-minute resting heart tracing in 15,105 adults. The researchers adjusted for many other factors that affect the heart. After that adjustment, only people with generalized anxiety disorder showed a robust rise in resting heart rate. The authors described the rise as small.

That result has a practical meaning. Anxiety can move your resting rate up by a modest amount. It is a poor explanation for a resting rate that sits far above 100 all day. Our guide to generalized anxiety disorder symptoms describes the constant worry that this study measured.

What does research say about heart rate variability and anxiety?

Heart rate variability (HRV) is the small change in time between one heartbeat and the next. Researchers use it as a sign of how well the calming branch of the nervous system works. A lower HRV points to less of that calming activity.

Two meta-analyses found lower resting HRV in people with anxiety disorders:

A 2014 meta-analysis pooled 36 articles with 2,086 patients and 2,294 healthy controls. Anxiety disorders were linked to lower HRV. The authors called the effect small to moderate.
A 2022 meta-analysis pooled 99 studies with 4,897 patients and 5,559 controls. Resting HRV was lower in generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder, social anxiety disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Medicine is a part of this picture. In the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety, 2,059 people had their HRV measured. People with a current anxiety disorder had lower HRV than controls. The difference was no longer significant after the researchers adjusted for antidepressant use. Anxious people who took no medicine did not differ from controls.

These are group averages. A low HRV number does not diagnose anxiety, and a normal number does not rule it out.

What else can cause a fast resting heart rate?

Many conditions raise the resting heart rate, and some of them feel like anxiety. A doctor checks for these before anxiety gets the blame.

Overactive thyroid. MedlinePlus lists nervousness, irritability, tremor, trouble sleeping, and a rapid and irregular heartbeat as symptoms of hyperthyroidism. The overlap with anxiety is large. A blood test tells them apart, and thyroid.md explains those tests.
Anemia. MedlinePlus lists a rapid heart rate among the findings a provider may see in a person with anemia. A complete blood count is one of the tests for it.
Caffeine, nicotine, and alcohol. MedlinePlus names caffeine, nicotine, and excessive alcohol as causes of a pounding or racing heart. See our article on caffeine and panic attacks.
Medicines. The same MedlinePlus page lists decongestants such as pseudoephedrine and phenylephrine, diet pills, and some asthma medicines. In the ELSA-Brasil study, antidepressant use was linked to a higher resting heart rate. The effect was largest for tricyclic antidepressants. Do not stop a prescribed medicine on your own. Ask your prescriber.
Dehydration, fever, and infection. MedlinePlus says a fast pulse may signal an infection or dehydration.
Heart rhythm problems. The NHLBI describes several arrhythmias that cause a fast heartbeat, such as atrial fibrillation. An irregular pulse is a reason for an electrocardiogram.
POTS. In postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome, the heart rate rises by more than 30 beats per minute, or goes above 120, within 10 minutes of standing. The National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke says the fast heartbeat usually improves when the person lies down. POTS mainly affects people aged 15 to 50 and is more common in women.

What does a smartwatch show about resting heart rate?

The NHLBI says some smartwatches and phone apps can help you find your resting heart rate. A watch is most useful for your own trend over weeks. One reading tells you little.

A study of 92,457 adults who wore a wrist tracker shows how wide normal is. The mean daily resting heart rate was 65 beats per minute. Individual values ranged from 40 to 109. One person's normal differed from another person's normal by as much as 70 beats per minute.

The same study found that resting heart rate was stable over the short term for most people. But 20% of people had at least one week in which their resting rate moved by 10 beats per minute or more. Resting rate also changed with age, sex, body mass index, sleep duration, and season. It was lowest in July and highest in January.

Wearables can measure HRV too. A 2024 study measured HRV at home with a wristband in 240 people. HRV was lower in people with anxiety disorders than in healthy controls. The difference was significant in the European subgroup and was a trend in the whole sample.

Frequent checks have a cost. MedlinePlus advises that once a provider has checked for a serious cause, you try not to pay close attention to palpitations, because the attention may cause stress.

When should you see a doctor about a high resting heart rate?

MedlinePlus says resting heart rates that are continually high may mean a problem, and that you should talk to your provider. Its palpitations page says to contact a provider right away if:

Your pulse is more than 100 beats per minute without exercise, anxiety, or fever
You have new or different palpitations
You often feel extra heartbeats
You have heart disease or risk factors such as diabetes, high cholesterol, or high blood pressure

Call 911 or your local emergency number if a fast heartbeat comes with chest pain, shortness of breath, unusual sweating, dizziness, or loss of consciousness. The NHLBI gives the same advice for difficulty breathing or chest pain.

A visit usually starts with a pulse and blood pressure check and an electrocardiogram. For questions about your blood pressure numbers, see hypertension.md. If the tests are normal and anxiety is the likely cause, treatment of the anxiety is the next step.

The bottom line

Anxiety can raise your resting heart rate through the day, and research shows that the average rise is small. Lower heart rate variability is a more consistent finding in anxiety disorders, and antidepressants explain a part of it. A resting rate between 60 and 100 is normal. A resting rate that stays above 100, an irregular pulse, or a clear change from your usual number needs a medical check before you call it anxiety. Use a wearable for trends, and do not check it all day.

Last updated: October 2026. This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Talk with your doctor about a resting heart rate that stays high, and get emergency care for chest pain, fainting, or trouble breathing.