Normal Pulse Rate

How can a doctor determine what's wrong with our health merely by holding our wrist for a few seconds? While that may leave many people spellbound, not many people know that it is the pulse rate that the doctor checks when he holds your wrist. The normal pulse rate is basically the rate at which your heartbeats, when you are resting. It is one of the several diagnostic tools that medical practitioners resort to when diagnosing underlying health issues. While the pulse or the frequency of heartbeat is measured in beats per minute (beats per minute), the doctor usually takes the count for 10 seconds and multiplies it by 6 to come to a conclusion.

What is Pulse Rate?

In the field of medicine, 'pulse' refers to the rhythmic expansion and contraction of the arteries corresponding each beat of heart. Simply put, it is the rate at which the human heartbeats, and thus is considered to be an apt indicator of heart as well as overall health. The pulse rate of an individual, or the rate at which his heartbeats, can facilitate a quick evaluation of the individual's health. While low pulse rate within the average range is considered to be ideal, a fall below the normal range can be a reason to worry. When the pulse rate falls below the normal range, the condition is referred to as bradycardia, and when the same exceeds the normal range for a resting pulse, the condition is referred to as tachycardia. It can be felt at any site in the body wherein the artery is compressed against the bone. The most prominent sites wherein it is relatively easy to find the pulse are:

• Wrist (Radial artery)
• Neck (Carotid artery)
• Inside of the elbow (Brachial artery)
• Behind the knee (Popliteal artery)
• Ankle joint (Posterior tibial artery)

You can check your pulse by placing the tip of your index, second or third finger at any of these sites mentioned above.

What is Normal Pulse Rate?

As we mentioned earlier, the normal pulse rate for humans is the rate at which our heartbeats when we are resting (at least for 10 minutes). The same typically ranges between 60-100 beats per minute (bpm), though there are some exceptions like the well-conditioned athletes who can have a heart rate as low as 40 bpm and newborns with pulse rate as high as 180-190 bpm. The pulse rate of a person is influenced by several underlying factors, with age, weight and activities that the person indulges in being the most prominent of them all. Immense variations are observed in the heart rate when the person indulges in different physical activities. For instance, the heart rate of the individual may drop down to as low as 40 bpm when he is sleeping, but the same can increase to as high as 150-200 bpm when exercising.

Normal Pulse Rate for Adults: In adults, the normal pulse rate ranges somewhere between 60-90 bpm - though its average tends to differ in accordance to gender. While the normal pulse rate for men is approximately 68-75 bpm, the normal pulse rate for women is approximately 72-80 bpm. As the normal pulse rate for adults, at rest or during some physical activity, depends on their age and weight, a younger woman is more likely to have a higher heart rate as compared to a woman older than her. Similarly, a woman with more weight is more likely to have a higher pulse rate compared to her counterpart with considerably less weight.

Normal Pulse Rate for Children: The normal pulse rate for children varies according to their age. For instance, the normal pulse rate for an infant would range between 100-160 bpm, whereas the same in toddlers or young children tends to range between 70-120 bpm. Older children most often display a pulse rate between 60-100 bpm. As children start growing their average pulse rate decreases, and by the age of 10 years they join the adults with an average pulse rate ranging between 68-80 bpm.

How to Take Pulse Rate?

Measuring your own pulse is not at all a difficult task. As we mentioned earlier, it's easy to feel the pulse at a few sites - the wrist and neck are best examples of the same. You just have to place the tip of your index, middle or ring finger on one of these spots, and press lightly until you feel the blood pulsating beneath the finger. If you have trouble finding the pulse, you just have to move the fingertip around the area till you locate it. Once you find it, count the beats for 10 seconds, and multiply the count by 6. This will determine your pulse rate for a minute. For instance, if you get 12 beats in 10 seconds, you will have to multiply 12 by 6 (12 x 6 = 72), which will mean that your heart rate is 72 bpm.

A pulse rate exceeding 95 bpm, when the individual is at rest, is considered as abnormal, and this high pulse rate is an indication of some problem in the person's health. This can happen due to several reasons, including fever and anxiety. Even though the pulse rate of an individual can help in determining certain problems in his health, it doesn't mean that you can solely depend on pulse rate for diagnosis of the underlying condition. One needs to understand that pulse - being a basic diagnostic tool, is only useful for primary diagnosis, and this has to be used along with other tools for proper diagnosis of the condition.