What is the Normal Heart Rate

Human heart is one of the most important organ in the entire human body. This mass of muscle pumps blood throughout the body, without missing a single part. If it misses even a single beat, it can prove fatal to the person. The blood pumped through the heart carries oxygen to various parts of the body, along with vital nutrients and materials and also removes the waste products. The heart beats at a rate of 72 times per minute. The heart is a little larger than your fist, and has the ability to contract and expand. This contraction and expansion gives rise to the pumping movement of the heart and is called the cardiac cycle. Each cardiac cycle lasts for approximately eight-tenths of a second. This non-stop organ does rest a bit, for about four tenths of a second during an entire cycle. Talk about dedication to one's job! Let me help you know more on what is normal heart rate.

What is Heart Rate
Before I begin answering the question, you should understand what is heart rate first. Heart rate is the number of times the heart beats per minute. In simple words, the number of times per minute that the heart contracts, is known as heart rate. The resting heart rate can be defined as the number of beats in one minute, when a person is resting. The resting heart rate is an indication of the basic fitness level of an individual's heart. The more your body is conditioned, the lesser beats per minute required to pump blood to your body. The maximum heart rate or max HR, is defined as the number of times the heart contracts in one minute. This is useful to measure the training intensities of an athlete, as it is measured individually.

What is the Normal Resting Heart Rate
The heart starts beating after 22 days of conception in the fetal stage, that is, during the fifth week of pregnancy. The normal fetal heart rate at different sizes of the fetal pole are as follows:

• A 2 mm embryo beats at 75 beats per minute.
• A 5 mm embryo beats at 100 beats per minute.
• A 10 mm embryo beats at 120 beats per minute.
• A 15 mm embryo beats at 130 beats per minute

Thus, the normal fetal heart rate is considered between 110 to 180 beats per minute. 180 to 190 beats per minute are also considered normal fetal heart rate. If you are an expecting mother and have any queries regarding your babies heart rate, consult your doctor and get your concerns addressed.

The normal adult heart beats about 60 to 100 times a minute at rest. This resting heart rate increases with age. A lower heart rate in healthy adults is an indication of cardiovascular fitness and efficient heart functioning. In a well-trained athlete, the heart rate may be as low as 40 to 60 beats per minute. The normal rest heart rate for children (6-15 years) is 70 to 100 beats per minute.

You can check your pulse rate by placing the tips of your index finger, second and third finger on the palm side of the other wrist, just below the base of the thumb. You can even place your index and second fingers on the lower neck, on either sides of the windpipe. Press lightly with your fingers till you can feel the blood pulsing beneath your fingers. Keep a watch clock handy and count the beats for 10 seconds. Then multiply the number with 6 to get the number of beats per minute. Know more about pulse rate chart.

I hope this has answered your question about 'what is normal heart rate?'. Higher than normal rest heart rate, that is consistently above 100 beats per minute, is an indication of tachycardia and below 60 beats per minute means bradycardia. If you face any symptoms like fainting, dizziness, shortness of breath, etc. consult your doctor immediately. Always keep in mind, that a healthy heart is the reason for a happy body.