The average respiration rate for adults is approximately _____ breaths per minute.

Your respiratory rate is the number of breaths you take in a minute. Breathing faster or slower than usual can indicate bodily stress or strain. Knowing the normal range of respiratory rates for adults and children can help you determine when to seek medical care. Respiratory rate is one of the four vital signs.

This article explains a normal respiratory rate range for kids and adults, including how to measure it.

What are vital signs?

Vital signs are objective measurements of the body’s overall health and well-being. There are four traditional vital signs. Respiratory rate is one of them. The others are temperature, blood pressure, and pulse or heart rate (how many times the heart beats per minute). 

Oxygen saturation is another sign that is often part of a vital sign assessment. Research has shown that it can provide meaningful information that affects patient outcomes.

Some clinicians consider pain the fifth vital sign and routinely assess a person’s pain levels when measuring vital signs. However, this practice is less common today due to the opioid crisis in the United States.

Checking your vital signs can help identify medical problems. When something is wrong with them, it can help gauge how urgent the situation is. Monitoring them over time is also useful when you have a chronic medical condition.

What is a respiratory rate?

Respiratory rate is the number of breaths you take per minute. When you breathe in, you bring oxygen into your lungs. Your lungs and heart then work together to deliver that oxygen to all your cells. When you breathe out, you exhale carbon dioxide, a waste product that can be dangerous if it builds up in the body.

Your cells need oxygen to produce energy. Your body adjusts the rate at which you breathe to meet the oxygen and thus energy demands from your cells.

For example, your breathing quickens when you exercise because your body needs more oxygen than usual to fuel your activity. Similarly, your respiratory rate may speed up when you are sick, and your cells need extra energy.

A significantly slower-than-normal respiratory rate can also signal a health crisis.

How to measure your respiratory rate

Physical activity and emotional stress can affect your vital signs including your respiratory rate. Therefore, it is best to check your respiratory rate while still and relaxed for a few minutes.

If you want to check your own respiratory rate, sit comfortably in a chair and count the number of breaths you take in a minute. You can either set a timer or watch a clock while counting.

One breath equals one inhale and exhale.

Counting for a full minute is the best measure of respiratory rate. This allows enough time to catch changes in the pattern or rate of breathing.

What does your respiratory rate measure?

Your respiratory rate measures air movement in and out of your lungs. Several body systems work together to control it. This includes sensory input from the body, motor neurons, and the muscular system.

Receptors throughout your body send information to the brain about oxygen levels. The respiratory center in the brain adjusts breathing in response. The brain also has functions, such as sleep and emotions, that can change respiratory rate.

Many diseases, disorders, and conditions can increase or decrease your respiratory rate.

Normal respiratory rate for adults

The normal respiratory rate for healthy, resting adults is 12–20 breaths per minute (bpm). Your respiratory rate will be higher with physical exertion and slower at rest. Your rate will probably be slower during sleep than during the day.

The respiratory rate stays rather consistent throughout the adult life span. However, it can change with older age.

Many older people also have medical conditions that can affect the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide. Examples include chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) or heart failure. As a result, respiratory rates of 20–28 bpm may not be concerning. It can depend on whether the person is having distress or not.

Normal respiratory rates for children

Children have a higher respiratory rate than adults. Very young children have higher respiratory rates than older children. 

From birth to age 1 month, a healthy respiratory rate is 40–60 bpm. As the lungs and body mature, breathing becomes more efficient, decreasing the respiratory rate.

As children age, they do not need as many breaths per minute to bring in enough oxygen and expel carbon dioxide.

Normal respiratory rates for children vary by age. 

Like adults, respiratory rate is just one factor to consider when evaluating a child’s overall health.

Breathing a bit faster or slower than the norm is not necessarily a concern, as long as the child otherwise seems comfortable. 

What causes a respiratory rate to speed up?

Faster-than-normal breathing is called tachypnea. Common causes of tachypnea include fever, pain, infection, and anxiety. Some diseases and disorders can also cause a high respiratory rate, including:

• acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS)
• anaphylaxis
• asthma
• carbon monoxide poisoning
• COPD
• diabetic ketoacidosis
• heart failure
• neuromuscular disorders
• pulmonary embolism
• shock

What causes a respiratory rate to slow down?

Slower-than-normal breathing is called bradypnea. A respiratory problem can cause bradypnea. Other causes include metabolic problems, such as thyroid disease, and sleep apnea.

Opioid medication, benzodiazepines, and alcohol can also slow breathing — in some cases, fatally.

When to see a doctor

Watch for increased work to breathe or the skin between the ribs retracting with each breath. Contact your doctor immediately if you notice these symptoms.

Seek immediate medical care (call 911) if difficulty breathing comes on suddenly or occurs with:

• bluish coloring of the lips, fingernails, or skin
• chest pain or pressure
• loss of consciousness
• nausea or vomiting
• rapid heart rate
• rash or hives
• sudden swelling of the lips, tongue, throat, or face

Summary

Your respiratory rate is one of four traditional vital signs. It measures the way air is moving in and out of the lungs. A natural rate for healthy adults is around 12–20 bpm.

Your respiratory rate normally rises and falls in response to many typical things, such as exercise and sleep. However, it can indicate a problem when it is unusually high or low when you are calm and at rest.

What is the normal breaths per minute for adults?

Is 40 breaths per minute are normal for adults?

Is 18.5 breaths per minute good?