How to Take a Pulse to See if My Heart is Healthy

People typically have resting heart rates between 60 and 100 beats per minute. A lower resting heart rate is typically indicative of better cardiac health and function. A well-trained athlete, for instance, might have a typical resting heart rate that is closer to 40 beats per minute.

Just take your pulse to determine your heart rate. Your third and index fingers should be placed on the neck's side of your windpipe. To check your pulse there, put two fingers between the bone and the tendon above your radial artery, which is located on the thumb side of your wrist.

15 seconds after you feel your pulse, count the beats. Multiply this amount by four to get your beats per minute.

Factors that affects results:

Keep in mind that a wide range of factors, including the following, might impact heart rate:

• Age 
• Levels of activity and fitness
• Smoking cigarettes
• Having diabetes, high cholesterol, or cardiovascular disease
• Ambient temperature
• Body placement (standing up or lying down, for example) 
• Emotions
• Body mass
• Medications
  
  

You might want to repeat several times and use the average of the three results to get the most accurate reading. To assess your resting heart rate, you should additionally do the following:

• One to two hours after working out or going through a stressful situation, avoid taking your heart rate. After exerting yourself, your heart rate may remain high.
• Caffeine can trigger heart palpitations and raise your heart rate; wait an hour after ingesting it.
  
  
• Never take the reading after spending a lot of time sitting or standing since this can alter your heart rate.
  
  

Although there is a wide range of what is considered normal, an unusually high or low heart rate could point to a more serious issue. If your resting heart rate consistently exceeds 100 beats per minute (tachycardia) or if it consistently falls below 60 beats per minute (bradycardia) and you are not a trained athlete, see a doctor right away, especially if you also experience other symptoms like fainting, dizziness, or shortness of breath.

Slower vs. Higher Heart Rate:

A slower heart rate in healthy individuals may be brought on by physical fitness, medicine, or sleeping habits. A slower heart rate, however, can be a symptom of other illnesses, such as heart disease, some infections, high blood potassium levels, or an underactive thyroid.

On the other hand, a high rate in healthy individuals may be caused by exercise, anxiety or excitement, the use of stimulants, or pregnancy. The majority of infections or pretty much any cause of fever, heart issues, particular medications, low potassium levels in the blood, an overactive thyroid gland or taking too much thyroid medication, anemia, asthma, or other breathing issues are among the medical conditions that are linked to a fast heart rate.

A word from the team —

To check your heart rate, you can also utilize a variety of heart rate monitors. Be warned however, that most have not had their accuracy put to independent testing. A digital fitness tracker is one option.

Many smartphone applications can also assess your heart rate. You place your finger on the phone's camera lens for the majority of these, and the phone recognizes color changes in your finger while your heart beats.

Your hands' minute amounts of sweat and the metal on the grips are used to detect the electric signal from your heartbeat. However, because of its egregious accuracy issues, doctors do not advise using devices to check your heart rate.

Get in touch with Corrielus Cardiology right away if you require additional assistance with your health and wellness.