Heart rate 23 - good or bad?
It depends on who was measured and what they were doing. Here is the short answer for 23 beats per minute:
Adult at rest
Very lowA resting heart rate of 23 bpm is very low for an adult. Outside of elite endurance athletes and deep sleep, a pulse under 40 is unusual and should be checked by a doctor.
Adult details →Child at rest
Outside normal rangesA heart rate of 23 bpm is below the normal resting range for every age group under 10. In a baby or young child that needs a doctor's assessment.
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 70 to 190 bpm; 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.
23 bpm during exercise
23 bpm is below half of the estimated maximum heart rate at every adult age, so it is a resting-range value, not an exercise intensity. During light activity most adults are already above 90 bpm.