Your pulse is a measurement of how fast your heart is beating. Your pulse can also indicate your heart rhythm. Understanding how fast or slow your heart is beating can teach you something about how to keep your health in check.
Checking your wrist pulse is easy. Place your index and middle fingers between the bone and the tendon over your radial artery — which is on the thumb side of your wrist. Keep your fingers still with a gentle pressure. When you feel your pulse, count the number of beats in 15 seconds. Multiply this number by four to calculate your beats per minute.
A normal pulse rate for healthy adults’ ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute (bpm). However, your pulse can vary from minute to minute and increase with exercise, illness, injury, medications, and emotions.
What if your resting heart rate falls outside of the expected range?
When your resting heart rate falls outside of the ‘normal’ range, either too fast or too slow, it might be a sign of a problem.
Tachycardia: This is when your resting heart rate is over 100 bpm. A rapid heart rate can be related to many health conditions. If you notice a sudden increase in your resting heart rate and you also feel dizzy, faint, or have palpitations (feel your heart beating strongly), you should speak with your healthcare provider.
Bradycardia: This is when your resting heart rate is under 60 bpm. A slower heart rate can be normal for some people, especially fit, healthy young adults. Competitive athletes like long-distance runners can have resting heart rates as low as 40 bpm or so – but, for the average person, that rate would be dangerously low. If your heart rate is unusually slow compared to your normal rate, and if you are feeling dizzy, faint, or tired, talk to your healthcare provider.
What can affect your heart rate?
Exercise increases your heart rate during and for a time after exercising. This is because your heart is pumping more oxygen-rich blood around your body to provide energy.
Illness can cause your heart rate to increase in response to your body fighting the infection.
Dehydration makes your heart work harder to pump blood around your body which may increase your heart rate.
Medication may cause both an increase and a decrease in your heart rate depending on the drug. Some drugs like asthma medications cause your heart rate to speed up, while others like beta blockers can slow your heart rate down. If you notice a sudden change in your pulse after starting a new medication, talk with your doctor.
Heart conditions may also cause changes in your heart rate. Arrhythmias are abnormal heart rhythms caused by a problem with your heart’s electrical conduction system. This can result in your heart beating more slowly, quickly, or in an irregular way. It is important that if you have an irregular pulse, you get it checked out with your doctor.
Other health conditions may also affect your heart rate. These include thyroid disease, anaemia, and hormonal conditions. Your general level of fitness, your age, smoking, nicotine consumption and stress can also affect your heart rate.
Bibliography:
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/ health/diagnostics/17402-pulse–heart-rate.
https://www.mayoclinic.org/ healthy-lifestyle/fitness/expert-answers/heart-rate/faq-20057979.
https://www.bhf.org.uk/information support/heart-matters-magazine/medical/ask-the-experts/pulse-rate
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