Most people are used to having their heart rate checked when they visit the doctor’s office or hospital, but monitoring your rate at home is simple and takes only a few minutes. A change in your resting heart rate can alert you to medical problems, so knowing your normal heart rate can potentially save your life.
Your heart rate can also tell you whether you are exercising hard enough or too hard. It is best for your heart rate to be in your target zone for at least 20 or 30 minutes to get the full benefit of each workout.
How to Take Your Own Pulse
The doctor usually uses a stethoscope to measure your pulse, but you don’t have to use one to take your pulse at home. It is easiest to take your pulse on your wrist. This is called your radial pulse.
Start by turning your left hand so that your palm is facing up toward the ceiling. Draw an invisible line from your thumb’s base to just beneath the crease where your wrist bends with the middle and index fingers of your right hand. Your fingers should end up barely to the left of the tendon that pops us when your wrist is bent toward your body.
Use gentle pressure, as pressing too hard will probably make your pulse disappear. Adjust the fingers of your right hand slowly until you find your pulse. Wait for a few seconds every time you move your fingers until you find it. You may need to move your fingers up or down your wrist several times before you are able to feel your pulse.
The first thing you will likely notice is whether your pulse is regular or irregular. Your pulse should be regular, as an irregular pulse is a sign of atrial fibrillation and other disturbances to the rhythm of your heart. You will need a clock or watch with a second hand to take your pulse.
You can place the watch on the wrist of your right arm or place the clock on a table next to you where you can read it easily. Count the number of heart beats you feel for 20 seconds, then multiply the number of beats by three to get the number of beats per minute. You can also count the beats for a full minute and avoid doing the math.
The carotid artery is another common place to take your pulse. Your carotid arteries are located on the left and right sides of your neck. You can take your carotid pulse with the same fingers you used to take your radial pulse.
Feel for the carotid artery on either side with your two fingers. Remember to press gently and avoid pressing down on both arteries at once. Don’t use your thumb to monitor your heart rate because your thumb has its own pulse and you will be unable to feel your carotid pulse with it.
You should count the number of beats you feel in your carotid artery for a full minute and write down the number as well as the date and time the pulse was taken.
Writing it down allows you to track your pulse over time and notice patterns or irregularities. Also note if your heart beat feels weak or strong. Many people check their carotid pulse before and after exercise.
Abnormal Heartbeat Indications
Your heart rate should be strong and even. If your heart beat follows a pattern of being strong and then weak over and over, this is a sign of pulsus alernans and could be a precursor to heart failure. If you feel two pulses instead of one, you may have pulsus bisferiens. This is a sign of an aortic valve disease where the valve doesn’t open and close properly.
There are many other heart issues that are first detected by an abnormal pulse.
If you feel that your pulse is abnormal, visit your doctor’s office as soon as possible. They will check your pulse and may send you to the hospital if they feel the same abnormality that you felt. The medical assistant or nurse who takes your pulse at the doctor’s office will feel for irregularity as well as strength in your pulse.
Pulse strength is generally measured between zero and four. Zero means that they are unable to feel your pulse, and one means that they are barely able to feel it. A strength rating of two means that your pulse can be felt easily, while three means that it is full strength. A pulse rating of four means that your pulse is extremely strong or pounding.
Normal Heart Rate
Adults should have a normal resting heart rate between 60 and 100 beats per minute. A very athletic person may have a resting heart rate as low as 40 beats per minute, as a low resting heart rate is an indication of increased cardiovascular fitness and efficient functioning of the heart. Because there is such as wide range of normal heart rates, it is important to track your heart rate long enough to know what is normal for you.
A heart rate that is unusually low or high can be an indication of health issues, so it is important to contact your physician if your heart rate is exceptionally low or high. This is especially important if you have other symptoms such as dizziness, shortness of breath or fainting.
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