Daily step count is given all the importance. Special smartwatches are designed to track 10,000 steps. Ticking off the daily requirement of a fixed number of steps is essential for staying active every day. But a study published by Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine revealed that when you include your heart rate with your daily count, tracking your fitness and understanding your heart health becomes much easier. The researchers called the calculation ‘Daily Heart Rate Per Step (DHRPS).’

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What is DHRPS?

DHRPS is calculated by dividing a person’s daily resting heart rate by their average step count. This ratio is important for understanding how your heart works. Daily steps alone cannot fully indicate health risks. Moreover, a higher ratio, as per the study, may imply potential health risks.

The study examined data from 7,000 smartwatch users, connecting their DHRPS values to their electronic medical records. The findings showed that people with higher DHRPS ratios were more likely to suffer from conditions such as Type II diabetes, high blood pressure, heart failure, and stroke.

Additionally, the study also showed that DHRPS was a more reliable and better indicator of disease risk than looking at step counts or resting heart rates separately.

What does DHRPS mean?

The concept behind DHRPS is actually very simple and straightforward. If your heart beats significantly more times than another person’s for the same number of steps, it may be a sign of inefficiency. To better illustrate this, consider two people who each walk 10,000 steps daily, but one has a resting heart rate of 80 beats per minute (bpm), while the other’s is 120 bpm. The first person’s DHRPS is 0.008, while the second’s is 0.012. The higher ratio signals a greater risk of heart disease.

This is even more helpful as it only requires you to do a simple calculation with and smartwatch.

Note to readers: This article is for informational purposes only and not a substitute for professional medical advice. Always seek the advice of your doctor with any questions about a medical condition.