The heart's muscle beats, night and day, from before birth until death. If you listen to a heart through a stethoscope, you will hear the "lubb-dupp" of the right and left ventricles contracting. The two atria also contract, but not with enough force to be heard separately. An electrical signal generated within the heart itself causes each beat. The blood is then pumped to the rest of the body via blood vessels.
Measuring Pulse Rate
You measure your heart rate by putting two fingers over a spot where the artery comes near the skin's surface, and counting the beats. Count for one minute, or for 15 seconds and multiply by four. This spot is known as a pulse, and the beats you count become the pulse rate. The pulse rate is always counted in beats per minute. The pulse rate is commonly called the heart rate, and the two terms are interchangeable.
Pulse Locations
Although pulse points are all over the body, medical professionals use a small subset of these pulses. In a conscious person, the preferred pulse point is the radial artery. This is on the interior of the wrist, below the thumb, about an inch below the wrist bone. For infants, use the brachial artery, on the inside of the upper arm. Press down between the biceps muscle and the bone. On an unconscious person, use the carotid pulse. This pulse is preferred by runners. Press two fingers into one side of your neck, in between the trachea and the muscles that connect the neck to the shoulders.
Target Heart Rate
Once you have found and counted your pulse rate, this rate is your heart rate. To strengthen your heart and improve your heart rate, exercise within your target heart rate zone. The target zone is calculated by taking 70-80 percent of your maximum heart rate, which is 220 minus your age. The American Heart Association's guidelines for target heart rates start at 50 percent of maximum heart rate, for those with little exercising history. For instance, the AHA recommends sustaining exercise at a heart rate of 100 to 170 beats per minute if you are 20 years old. Locate your pulse point and count out your heart rate during exercise to make sure you are maintaining your target heart rate, or purchase a commercial heart rate monitor.
Fast and Slow Rates
The average heart beats between 60 and 100 times per minute. If your heart beats below 60 times per minute, this is bradycardia. If it beats more than 100 times per minute, this is tachycardia. These can be normal for the heart during rest or exercise. If you experience symptoms such as nausea, difficulty breathing, extreme sweating, and pasty white skin, notify a doctor, because these are signs that your heart is not pumping effectively.
Problems
If a person is very cold or has a very low blood pressure, you may not find his radial pulse. If you find someone unconscious, always check for the carotid pulse. If you cannot find a carotid pulse, the person may be having a heart attack. Notify emergency personnel and begin cardiopulmonary resuscitation if you know it.
References
- "EMT Complete: A Basic Worktext"; Daniel Limmer and Christopher Le Baudour; 2007
- American Heart Association: Target Heart Rates
- "ECG Workout: Exercises in Arrhythmia Interpretation"; Jane Huff; 2006
