Professor Paul Greenhaff, School of Biomedical Sciences, Nottingham University, replies: A resting heart rate of 80 beats per minute should not be considered as being overly high, particularly if the person is male, over 40 years of age and does not take part in 'endurance type' exercise. There could be several reasons for this slight elevation in basal heart rate, the majority of which are completely innocuous. If you are worried, visit your GP and ask for your blood pressure and heart rate to be checked out simultaneously.