Facts about heart rate
A persons heart rate, often called as pulse, refers to how many times their heart beats per minute. Our heart rates vary tremendously, depending on the demands we make on our bodies - a person who is sleeping will have a much lower heart rate compared to when he/she is exercising.
Is there a difference between heart rate and pulse?
There is a technical difference between heart rate and pulse, although they both should come up with the same number:
Heart rate - how many times the heart beats per minute. The number of contractions of the lower chambers of the heart (the ventricles).
Pulse (pulse rate) - as the blood gushes through the artery from a heartbeat, it creates a bulge in the artery. The rate at which the artery bulges can be measured by touching it with your fingers, as on the wrist or neck.
Heart beat is defined as a complete cardiac cycle, including spread of the electrical impulse and the consequent mechanical contraction. Pulse is defined as rhythmic dilation of an artery, produced by the increased volume of blood thrown into the vessel by the contraction of the heart. A pulse may also at times occur in a vein or a vascular organ, such as the liver.
When is heart/pulse rate measured?
Doctors and other healthcare professionals measure patients heart rates when monitoring their health, to test the effectiveness of certain treatments, or making a diagnosis.
Athletes and sports people usually measure their heart beats so that they can gain maximum efficiency from their training regimes.
What is a normal resting heart rate (pulse rate)?
For a human aged 18 or more years, a normal resting heart rate can be anything between 60 and 100 beats per minute. Usually the healthier or fitter you are, the lower your rate. A competitive athlete may have a resting heart rate as low as 40 beats per minute.
The following are ideal normal pulse rates at rest, in bpm (beats per minute):
Newborn baby - 120 to 160
Baby aged from 1 to 12 months - 80 to 140
Baby/toddler aged from 1 to 2 years - 80 to 130
Toddler/young child aged 2 to 6 years - 75 to 120
Child aged 7 to 12 years - 75 to 110
Adult aged 18+ years - 60 to 100
Adult athlete - 40 to 60
(There is a considerable amount of overlap from 14 to 17 years of age, with younger and older ages, depending on which health authorities you use for data)
Checking your own heart rate:
The wrist (the radial artery) - place the palm of your hand facing upward. Place two fingers on the thumb side of your wrist gently, you will sense your pulse beating there. Either count them for up to one minute, or count for thirty seconds and then multiply it by two.
The neck (the carotid artery) - place the index and third fingers on the neck, next to your windpipe. When you feel your pulse, either count for the whole sixty seconds, or count for 30 or 15 seconds and multiply by two or four respectively
The human heart rate may also be measured at the following points:
The brachial artery - under the biceps or inside the elbow
Abdominal aorta - over the abdomen
Apex of the heart - by placing your hand or fingers on the chest
Basilar artery - at the side of the head, close to the ear
Dorsalis pedis - the middle of dorsum of the foot
Superficial temporal artery - the temple
The facial artery - the lateral edge of the mandible
The femoral artery - in the groin
The posterior tibial artery - behind the medial malleoulus of the feet
Other accurate ways of checking heart rate
An electrocardiograph, also known as an ECG or EKG is a more accurate way of checking a patients heartbeat. ECGs are commonly used in critical care medicine, and many other fields of medicine.
Sports shops sell heart-rate watches that communicate with a device you strap around your chest. The readings on your watch tell you what your heart rate is - some can even work out heart-rate averages over set periods, such as the whole of an exercise session.
Bear in mind that your heart rate can be influenced by several factors, such as:
Your level of physical activity at the time
How fit you are
The ambient temperature
The position of your body - standing, sitting, lying down, etc.
Your mental and/or emotional state - excitement, anger, fear, anxiety, and other factors can raise your heart beat
The size of your body
Some medications
Related terms
Bradycardia - a medical term that refers to a heartbeat that is too slow, such as below 60 beats per minute (for a non-athlete).
Tachycardia - a medical term that refers to a resting heartbeat of more than 100 beats per minute, an excessively fast heart beat for an adult.
If you think you have bradycardia or tachycardia, see your doctor, especially if you are also short of breath, feel dizzy, and/or have fainting episodes.(Reprint)
Courtesy: AsiaMed Connect
