About Heart Rate
What is a resting heart rate (pulse)?
Your resting heart rate is the number of heart beats per minute when you are at rest. Each time the heart beats, blood is ejected into your arteries. As the blood surges into the arteries during a heart beat, each artery stretches and bulges. This brief bulge of the artery is called a beat. Thus, your pulse is the rate at which your heart beats, and you can measure your heart rate by feeling your pulse.
Your heart is working hard!!!
- The heart of a normal individual beats about 40 million times a year.
- During this time, over 10 tons of blood are circulating each day, and every night: thus, the workload of the heart is equivalent to a person carrying a thirty-pound pack to the top of the 102-stairs of the Empire State Building.
What is a normal heart rate?
Healthy population.
A resting heart rate in the range of 60–80 beats per minute is considered as normal. Heart rate fluctuates and is depending on various factors related to your activity and your stress level. In general, it is better to have a lower heart rate than a higher one.
People with stable angina.
Stable angina is characterized by chest pain, occurring mainly during exercise stress. There is a close relationship between myocardial ischemia (angina pain) and the increase of heart rate.
Why does heart rate (pulse) increase?
A fast heart rate may be caused by many conditions:
- Activity or exercise
- Anemia
- Fever
- Heart disease
- An overactive thyroid gland (hyperthyroidism)
- Drugs used to treat asthma
- Stimulants such as caffeine, amphetamines, diet pills, and tobacco
- Stress.
Why is it important to check your heart rate (pulse)?
Your heart rate not only demonstrates how well the heart is working, but also helps:
- To find the cause of symptoms, such as arrhythmia or tachycardia, dizziness, fainting, chest pain, or shortness of breath.
- To check on antianginal drugs reducing the heart rate.
- To check your general health and fitness level.
How to measure heart rate (pulse) by palpation?
Your pulse can be felt at the wrist and neck—areas where the artery is close to the skin. Most commonly, people measure their pulse at their wrist:
- Gently place your index and middle fingers of one hand on the other wrist, approximately 1 inch below the base of the hand.
- Press your fingers down in the groove between the middle tendons and outside bone. You should feel a throbbing—your pulse.
- Count the beats for 30 seconds, then double the result to get the number of beats per minute.
References
Collins P, Fox KM. Pathophysiology of angina. Lancet. 1990; 1: 94-96
Andrews TC, Fenton T, Toyosaki N, Glasser SP, Young PM MacCallum G, et al. Subsets of ambulatory myocardial ischemia based on heart rate activity. Circadian distribution and response to anti-ischemic medication. The Angina and Silent Ischemia Study Group (ASIS). Circulation. 1993; 88: 92-100
Palatini P, Benetos A, Grassi G et al. Identification and management of the hypertensive patient with elevated heart rate: statement of a European Society of Hypertension Consensus Meeting. J Hypertens. 2006;24:603-610;
Fox K, Borer JS, Camm J, Danchin N, Ferrari R, Lopez Sendon JL, Steg PG, Tardif JC, Tavazzi L, Tendera M. Resting heart rate in cardiovascular disease. JACC. 2007;50(9):823-830.