Heart rate 182 - good or bad?

It depends on who was measured and what they were doing. Here is the short answer for 182 beats per minute:

Adult at rest

Very high

A resting heart rate of 182 bpm is very high. During hard exercise it can be expected (see the training table below) — at rest, a pulse this fast needs urgent medical attention.

Adult details →

Child at rest

Depends on age

A heart rate of 182 bpm is within the normal resting range for: newborn (0–1 month). It is above it for infant (1–11 months), toddler (1–2 years), preschool (3–4 years), child (5–6 years), child (7–9 years).

Child details →

Who was measured?

Why the answer changes with age

Small hearts pump less blood per beat, so they have to beat faster. A newborn's normal resting pulse can be anywhere from 100 to 190 bpm (MedlinePlus lists 70–190, but in a newborn a rate below 100 needs prompt assessment); by age 10 it settles into the adult range of 60–100 bpm. A pulse of 150 can be perfectly normal for a three-month-old and worrying in an adult at rest. The same rule holds across mammals: a mouse's heart beats around 500 times a minute, an elephant's about 30.

182 bpm during exercise

During exercise a higher pulse is expected. This table shows which training zone 182 bpm corresponds to, based on the common estimate of maximum heart rate (220 minus age). Individual maximums can differ by 10–20 bpm.

AgeEst. max (220 − age)182 bpm isTraining zone
20200 bpm91% of maxZone 5 · Maximum
30190 bpm96% of maxZone 5 · Maximum
40180 bpm101% of maxabove estimated max
50170 bpm107% of maxabove estimated max
60160 bpm114% of maxabove estimated max
70150 bpm121% of maxabove estimated max

How the zones work: Heart Rate Zones: The 5 Training Zones by Age.

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Measured on

Nearby values

Sources: American Heart Association: All About Heart Rate · MedlinePlus: Pulse · AHA 2020 guidelines, neonatal resuscitation · ACSM position stand on exercise intensity (2011)

This page explains a single reading in general terms. It is not a diagnosis. Heart rate alone cannot tell whether the rhythm is regular or whether the heart is healthy — if you are worried, talk to a doctor.