Your reaction time isn’t just about how quick you are to catch a falling object or respond in a game — it’s a surprising signal of what’s going on inside your body. From brain performance to overall health, your speed to react can give useful clues about ageing and your risk of health issues.
Over the years, our reaction speed naturally becomes slower. This is one reason why physical performance starts to dip after our 30s. However, researchers say how well you maintain your reaction time could show how healthy your brain and body still are as you age.
One popular way to test your reaction speed at home is the ruler drop test. Here’s how to try it:
- Sit on a chair and place your arm on a table with your wrist hanging off the edge.
- Ask someone to hold a ruler vertically with the 0cm mark aligned with your thumb.
- Without warning, they should drop the ruler. You try to catch it between your thumb and fingers.
- The shorter the distance it falls before you catch it, the faster your reaction.
If you catch the ruler below 7.5 cm, it’s an excellent result. If it falls between 7.5–15.9 cm, it’s above average. A fall of 15.9–20.4 cm is average. More than 20.4 cm is below average and anything over 28 cm is considered poor.
Studies have shown that slow reaction times could be linked to higher chances of illnesses like heart disease, stroke, or even earlier death. People with slower reaction times may also be more likely to fall, lose independence, or develop memory problems later in life.
But one test isn’t enough to tell the full story. Everyone’s reaction time is different, based on things like fitness, lifestyle, gender, and genetics. What’s more useful is checking your speed over time. If your results change a lot year by year, that could be a sign of health changes.
Your reaction time depends on how your brain sees and hears things, how fast it processes information, and how quickly your body moves. Any part of this chain can slow down with age, and it affects everyone differently.
Experts say the first part that slows is usually the body’s ability to move fast — not the brain’s ability to notice what’s happening. Our muscles may lose their strength, and our cells might not produce energy as quickly, making it harder to move fast.
Even so, a healthy brain can still work well into older age. Some studies show that the nervous system in healthy older people still reacts quickly. But they might not be able to move fast enough anymore to act on it.
If you want to check your reaction time without a ruler, you can try simple online games like the Human Benchmark Test. You wait for a red box to turn green and click as fast as possible. A sudden drop in your score could be a sign of slowing brain or sensory function.
But the good news is — you can improve it.
Here’s what may help:
- Try activities that mix movement with thinking, like walking while turning your head or tossing a ball while saying words.
- Join fitness classes at home using your phone or TV.
- Play board games, puzzles, or learn new skills like music or sports.
- Do sports or activities that make you move fast and think at the same time.
These small habits can support your brain, improve coordination, and help you react faster — all while keeping your body and mind strong as you age.
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