A person’s pulse can tell a lot – mainly about the state of the body and the degree of physical training. In order to find out about the presence of serious diseases, it is necessary to measure it periodically.
This must be done correctly in order to count the number of heart beats per minute without any obstacles.
Incorrect measurement can distort the true state of health. In order to perform this action as correctly as possible, you need to familiarize yourself with some of the subtleties that are described in detail in this article.
So how to measure the pulse on your hand? What to do if your hands have different pulses, and what is the name of the device for measuring pulse?
The number of heart beats per minute is called the pulse. This is one of the main indicators that can indicate that a person’s cardiovascular system is in excellent condition.
If a person has a normal upper and lower pulse, as well as a corresponding pulse, then this indicates that the person is completely healthy.
If some disruptions in the indicators were noticed, then it is necessary to monitor the development of the situation. If it is unstable and there are serious differences in the numbers, you need to urgently visit your personal doctor’s office.
The environment for measuring heart rate does not matter. It can be measured both at home and in a doctor's office. The only thing you should pay attention to is the measurement methods, which this moment there are two.
Wrist-based heart rate monitor
The first is to use an automatic meter (special watch), and the second is the more familiar old-fashioned one, which involves using only your fingers. Of course, despite the identical algorithm of these two methods, automatic heart rate meters can provide more accurate results more accurately.
So how to properly use a wrist pulse and pressure monitor? With its help, you can not only find out this information, but also calculate the pressure and rhythm of the heart. As a rule, they are most often used by people involved in sports.
But the statement that this useful device is used only by athletes is not true.
Originally given modern device was developed specifically for people who suffer from diseases of cardio-vascular system.
At the moment, a new model of this universal and indispensable watch in everyday life has gone on sale.
Visually, they resemble an ordinary watch device, but in fact their operating principle is completely different - it is a pulse and pressure meter that can calculate these indicators as accurately as possible. After the data has been received, it is sent via wireless communication channels for subsequent information processing. After this, the final data is displayed on the dial.
A watch for measuring blood pressure and pulse is an indispensable device that you can carry with you to monitor these indicators. This will allow you to monitor your health status anywhere.
Which is correct?
As you know, the pulse is a push of blood in the vessels at the moment of contraction of the heart muscle, which produces vibrations in the walls of the blood vessels.
It is characterized by such basic parameters as frequency, rhythm, tension and filling.
Of course, to measure it, you can use a modern wristband for measuring pulse and pressure, but you can also do this using the usual method, accessible to everyone. You will need a stopwatch for this.
The next step is to find the arterial pulse, which is most conveniently found on the wrist of either hand. It is located at the base of the thumb. The first time, trying to find a point on your hand to measure, you need to select an area in the wrist area.
Next, you need to determine how best to place your fingers where you feel the pulse.
The most convenient way is to use four fingers instead of two.
Moreover, the fifth must be used as a support.
The next step is to lower the fingers onto the wrist of the selected hand and press them accordingly in such a way as to feel the beat of the pulse wave. Next, you need to start counting your heart rate for sixty seconds, using a stopwatch.
For greater convenience, you can use a special digital meter blood pressure, which can be supplied additional function to measure heart rate.
But, as you know, for measurement it is not necessary to use only the artery that is located in the wrist area.
In most individual cases, other arteries such as the carotid, temporal and femoral are also used.
As a rule, they are used to measure the number of heart beats per minute in severe patient conditions. You can also use the area chest and check the intervals of its beating by ear.
If the pulse disappears for a few seconds when measuring blood pressure, this is an alarming sign. IN in this case the risk of any pathology occurring in the body increases, so it is advisable to contact a specialist as soon as possible to find out the details of what happened.
What diseases can be detected?
Before proceeding with this procedure, you need to familiarize yourself with information on how to correctly measure the pulse on your hand. After the indicators have become known, it is necessary to figure out which of them are normal.
Pulse rate from sixty to eighty beats per minute for common man, not involved in sports, is an acceptable indicator.
But the data indicating figures from seventy for physically active people are very good and acceptable. It is important to remember that athletes who are over thirty-five years old should pay close attention to their health. After special cardio training, it is necessary to measure your pulse.
If the final indicator fluctuates within one hundred eighty-five beats per minute, then this is the norm. But it should not be more than this figure, since this already indicates the presence of heart problems and physical activity is contraindicated in this condition. If there is a slight increase in the number of heart beats per minute while working out in the gym, you need to slightly reduce the load and give the body a rest.
Few people know that it is always slightly more common than in men.
The same applies to children: they have it much more intensely than adults. Do not forget that its indicators change dramatically with physical activity, restlessness, smoking, as well as drinking drinks containing caffeine or alcohol.
For comparison, you first need to measure your pulse at a moment that was very tense. After this, you need to do the same, but at rest. Next, you should compare the obtained indicators and determine whether there is neurosis.
As you know, more excited individuals, worrying about every nonsense, greatly overstrain their nervous system, as a result of which the heart responds to this stimulus very strongly. Also, a consequence of frequent worries is high blood pressure. First of all, neurotics experience cardiovascular dystonia, then neurosis and, as a consequence, more serious and dangerous pathological conditions associated with the functioning of the whole organism.
If the pulse instantly increases in response to the slightest external stimuli, then it is necessary to immediately solve this problem by contacting a specialist. The first thing you need to do is take a break from everyday problems and take care of your own health.
Reasons for different indicators on hand
The reasons characterizing different pulses in the hands are physiological in nature - this is completely normal.That is why you should check it on each of the upper limbs to know the approximate indicators.
After the final numbers become known, it is important to remember on which hand and under which finger the strongest shocks were felt.
What to do if the pulse is difficult to hear when measuring blood pressure?
If a patient’s heartbeats are not clearly audible while measuring blood pressure, then this indicates nothing more than the presence of vascular diseases.
In such people, the pulse is always unstable and not particularly uniform. But this only means that it would be a good idea to see a specialist to conduct an appropriate examination.
Also, such people should not measure the pulse with their fingers, since with poor listening it is almost impossible to do this. In addition, even if it works, it will be very difficult to calculate the number of beats per minute. In this situation, doctors recommend using a special automatic pulse meter in the form of a practical watch, which was discussed earlier.
With its help, you can measure the pressure on the forearm, and the pulse, accordingly, on the elbow. You can also get a special automatic tonometer with a useful function called “arrhythmia indicator”, which can detect malfunctions occurring in the body. But it is also worth considering the fact that its cost is much higher than usual.
Heart rate and blood pressure measurements may be affected by a heavy meal. As a rule, after this it is very difficult to listen to heartbeats.
Video on the topic
Visual instructions on how to measure the pulse on your hand:
This article contains useful information about how to measure your pulse correctly. In order to obtain the most accurate indicators, it is necessary to adhere to existing recommendations regarding the preparation and implementation of the process itself. If you can’t do it yourself, you can ask one of your family members.
Arterial pulse is an important indicator of blood circulation. It can change during physical exertion and mental stimulation, under the influence medicines, with pathology of blood vessels and heart, etc. Its normative values differ significantly in children and adults. In order not to distort the results, you must be able to measure your pulse correctly, taking into account all physiological characteristics.
What is arterial pulse?
The pulse is a jerky beat in the walls of the arteries that occurs due to the movement of blood through the vessels and changes in pressure when the heart contracts. Normally, this indicator corresponds to the number of heartbeats. By calculating it, you can get information about your heart rate (HR).
There is a condition when the pulse wave after a heartbeat does not spread to the arteries. In this case, the pulse indicators become less than the heart rate. This phenomenon is called “pulse deficiency.” ". This is most often encountered with atrial fibrillation and extrasystole.
Rules for measuring the indicator
At home, this procedure is most easily performed on the radial artery in the wrist area. You need to determine your pulse yourself as follows:
- 1. The fundamental condition is complete physical and emotional calm for 15 minutes.
- 2. The hand must be placed in a horizontal position, palm up.
- 3. Using the index and middle finger, slightly above the wrist joint on the outside, you need to feel the maximum pulsation of the artery, pressing it slightly.
- 4. If the vibrations occur rhythmically, then you can measure 15 or 20 seconds in time and then multiply the results by 4 or 3, respectively. In the event that pulsation is observed at unequal time intervals, it is worth counting for a whole minute.
The pulse can be determined in the neck in the area of the carotid artery, temple, popliteal fossa, and on top of the foot. But discover on your own the best place pulsations at these points are more complex, which can lead to distorted results.
Special devices - heart rate monitors - will allow you to find out your heart rate during training. This device helps to control the load of exercise on the human body and, if necessary, adjust it.
Pulse measurement in children
To check the value of the indicator in children, it is recommended to measure it in the morning after waking up and on an empty stomach. The measurement is carried out as follows: the thumb covers the back of the forearm, and the middle and index fingers are placed on its inner surface. After that, you need to bend them slightly and find the best place for pulsation.
To assess synchrony, measurements should be taken on both hands. If the indicators are the same on the right and left, then subsequent measurements are taken only on the right. Counting the number of oscillations in 60 seconds occurs similarly to adults. But in children, due to high heart rates, it is sometimes difficult to make calculations. To do this, you need to take two or three hits as one, count the number of such “twos” or “threes” and multiply.
Features of the norm in children and adults
Heart rate in adults is 60-80 beats per minute. In children, the normative values differ: over the years, they experience a decrease in these values, which soon becomes equal to those in adults.
An increase in the indicator is called tachycardia, and a decrease is called bradycardia.
Heart rate indicators in children:
If it is necessary to measure the pulse in children, the following physiological characteristics must be taken into account:
- Average values can vary in the range of 10-15%.
- Boys' heart rate in 60 seconds is 3-5 beats less than girls.
- During the puberty period in adolescents, indicators increase by 10-12 from the expected figures.
- Tachycardia can occur during physical and emotional stress. At rest, the heart rate should normalize within 2-3 minutes.
- During sleep, heart rate decreases.
- With hyperthermia, an increase in the indicator is observed, since this represents an adequate reaction of the body. When the temperature increases by 1 degree, the pulse increases by 10-15 beats per minute
- Respiratory arrhythmia may occur - this is an increase in the pulse during inspiration and a decrease in it during exhalation. From 2 to 11 years old this is the norm. But definitely nYou need to verify its origin. If atit does not disappear when breathing stops, then in this case it is a sign of a pathological process.
Pulse (lat. pulsus blow, push)- periodic fluctuations in the volume of blood vessels associated with contractions of the heart, caused by the dynamics of their blood filling and pressure in them during one cardiac cycle. The average healthy person has a normal resting heart rate of 60-80 beats per minute.
1. When to measure?
The best time for pulse diagnosis is considered between 11-13 hours.
2. How long?
The most accurate values can be obtained by counting your pulse over 1 minutes.
3. Where is the best place to measure your pulse?
The best place to feel the pulse is on radial artery at a distance of the width of your thumb below the first fold of the skin of the wrist.
Pulse can be measured in the following arteries:
- Temporal (above the temples)
- Carotid (along the inner edge of the sternocleidomastoid muscle, under the jaw)
- Shoulder (on the inner surface of the shoulder above the elbow)
- Femoral (on the inner surface of the thigh at the junction of the leg and pelvis)
- Popliteal.
4. How to take a measurement?
The radial pulse is checked with three fingers: index, middle and ring. Place three fingers on your wrist, on the radial artery, in line with very little space between them. Apply gentle pressure just below the radius (metacarpal bone) and feel the pulse points. Each finger should clearly feel the pulse wave. Then release your finger pressure a little to feel the different movements of the pulse.
5. When should you not check your pulse?
- Immediately after ingestion of food, alcohol or medication
- For acute hunger
- After hard physical work or intense mental work
- After the massage
- After a bath or sex
- After being near the fire, in the sun or in the cold
- Poor sleep
- IN critical days(among women).
Everyone should know how to measure their pulse. This is one of the main indicators of the state of the cardiovascular system, allowing you to find out not only how rhythmically the heart contracts, but also to promptly identify deviations in its work. You can independently record the pulse on any protruding artery of the body (on the neck, elbow or wrist) by palpation. But to obtain more accurate data, doctors recommend using electronic meters.
Pulse measurement is possible in places where there is no fat and muscle tissue or where the artery passes close to the surface of the skin or over bone formations. Often, pulsation is detected in the neck, where the carotid artery is close, or on the wrist. However, if difficulties arise in determining the pulse at these points, then they resort to checking:
- femoral artery (inner thigh area, closer to the groin);
- brachial artery (palpable in the area of the elbow);
- arch of the foot (pulsation can be determined in the central dimple of the foot);
- on the inside of the ankle;
- popliteal fossa.
But regardless of the chosen location, the pulse is measured using the same algorithm.
Norms and deviations of pulse values
Regular measurement of the pulse will help to identify pathology in a timely manner and take appropriate measures. Regarding the normal heart rate, it should be said that it will have some differences for adults, children and the elderly, however, as for men and women. For babies, it is quite normal for the heart to beat at a rate of 120-130 beats per minute, but for adult men and women this figure will range from 60 to 70 beats per minute. In older people, this figure gradually increases again to 64-79 beats per minute.
Differences among professional athletes will also be noted. Since their heart pumps large volumes of blood, it contracts less often compared to other people, and this fits within the normal range. Thanks to this feature, the heart does not wear out so quickly and aging slows down.
When a person has a rapid pulse, this indicates tachycardia. As a rule, this problem arises against the background of pathologies of the nervous, endocrine and cardiovascular systems. If, in addition, rhythm disturbances are noted, then the situation becomes even more aggravated (arrhythmia is added). To avoid complications in such situations, it is recommended to visit a doctor who will identify the problem and find ways to eliminate it.
If no health problems have been identified, the doctor advises to refrain from intense physical exertion and emotional stress. Your doctor may also prescribe magnesium and potassium supplements to strengthen your heart muscle. While taking them, you should avoid caffeine-containing products, alcohol and certain medications.
As already mentioned, if deviations are detected, therapy is selected individually. If there are disturbances in the heart rate, it is important for the patient to make some changes to his lifestyle, first of all, to give up such bad habits like smoking and drinking alcohol. Often the problem is caused by how a person behaves and what he uses. To normalize your heart rate, you need regular walking and nutritional correction.
If your heart rate slows down, you also need to think about possible problems with health. When a person's heart rate is less than 50 beats per minute, they speak of bradycardia. This pathology is noted against the background of:
- with severe hypothermia;
- due to increased intracranial pressure;
- with reduced synthesis of thyroid hormones;
- due to exhaustion of the body due to prolonged fasting;
- in case of poisoning with potent chemicals.
With bradycardia, a person’s condition noticeably worsens. He often suffers from dizziness, weakness and lethargy. Bradycardia is fraught with frequent fainting and the possibility of cardiac arrest. This condition also needs correction, as it poses an even greater danger than tachycardia. In turn, monitoring heart rate (HR) indicators helps detect abnormalities in the embryo and prevents complications.
Methods for measuring heart rate at home
You should measure and keep your pulse under control not only during training, but also at rest, at least 3 times a week. If there are deviations in any direction, you should consult a doctor. Pulse measurements at home can be carried out in two ways:
- Palpation. Using palpation, the point with the most pronounced pulsation is found and the beats are counted for 6 or 60 seconds. In the first case, the result obtained is multiplied by 10. The pulse in children is usually measured in the same way.
- Electronic tonometer. The measurement is carried out for 10 seconds, after which the result is displayed on the screen. As a rule, it is much more accurate and reliable than the manual method of calculating heart rate.
Measurement algorithm
Measuring heart rate is a simple task, but it must be performed in compliance with certain rules, since if the pulse measurement technique is not followed, the results will have a high error. The manual heart rate measurement algorithm will differ depending on the selected measurement area. The most common areas for heart rate measurement are the wrist and the carotid artery in the neck.
Pulse on hand
Pulse measurement is most often carried out by palpation in the wrist area. Measurements are taken just above the wrist, finding the pulsation point. However, to get a clear picture of a person’s condition, it is necessary to take measurements over several days. So how to measure the pulse on your hand correctly?
- Initially, choose the hand where the pulsation is heard better. If the pulse is heard equally on both limbs, then choose the hand on the side of the heart. Then you should position it conveniently.
- Afterwards, using 4 fingers you need to lightly press the artery.
- Next, you need to count your pulse for 6 or 60 seconds.
- If the number of blows is counted over 6 seconds, then multiply the indicator by 10.
On the carotid artery
If for some reason the pulse cannot be heard at the wrist, then we measure it at the carotid artery. On the side of the neck it is almost always clearly audible. The procedure is performed like this:
- It is advisable to lay the person down, but if this is not possible, then you can make him sit by asking him to lean on the back of the chair.
- Afterwards, you need to feel the pulse on the side of the thyroid cartilage.
- Then, middle and index finger You should press lightly on the artery.
- Next, as in the case of the wrist, we count the number of blows for 6 or 60 seconds.
- In the first case, we multiply the result by 10.
When measuring the pulse using this method, it is very important to carefully feel the thyroid cartilage so as not to inadvertently cause compression of neighboring receptors, as this can provoke a sudden decrease in blood pressure.
This skill is important not only for health workers, but also for ordinary people who from time to time have to take heart rate measurements.
Using heart rate monitors
Now you can easily measure your pulse using devices such as heart rate monitors. They are compact, inexpensive and extremely easy to use. The optimal models are those made in the form of a watch or bracelet. Optical heart rate monitors have gained particular popularity. Similar devices are acquired by both ordinary people and athletes, for whom it is extremely important to control their heart rate while performing sets of exercises.
The use of such devices is determined by their type, operating principle and mounting. For example, there are models that can be attached to a finger, earlobe, or on the chest. Any such device is accompanied by instructions for use, which spell out all the key points in the operation of a particular model.
What to do if the pulse is hard to hear
There are often situations when the patient’s pulse is practically not audible. If such a problem is discovered, then the person needs to contact a specialist, since the anomaly indicates possible deviations in the functioning of the cardiovascular system. Listening to the heart rate in the wrist area is impossible in such cases, since the vibrations of the blood vessels are barely perceptible and can only be detected by particularly sensitive equipment in a medical institution.
Heart Rate Gadgets for Athletes and Fitness Enthusiasts
In order not to wonder how to measure the pulse correctly, many resort to the help of various gadgets. As a rule, heart rate monitors and blood pressure monitors are chosen by people with health problems, while athletes and fitness fans prefer something different.
Fitness bracelet and fitness tracker
These devices look like a bracelet or watch and are fixed on the wrist. A person wears it almost without taking it off, and the device tracks the owner’s activities and certain physiological indicators (steps taken, calories burned, blood pressure readings), including pulse. All this data is displayed on the screen. They can also monitor sleep stages and wake up their owner at the ideal moment.
Fitness bracelet is one of the gadgets for measuring heart rate Apple watch and other fitness watches
Perhaps this is the most popular gadget among athletes, since it has many important functions for them: an accelerometer and a gyroscope that track a person’s movements in space during the day, as well as an optical sensor that measures the pulse of its owner.
Fitness headphones
Most athletes like to listen to music during training, so headphones that record heart rate inside the ear and connected to a smartphone or other gadget are quite popular among them. The measurement results can be displayed on the display of the device to which the headphones are connected. The presence of such gadgets greatly facilitates monitoring the state of human health, so monitoring the emergence of pathologies has become possible at their initial stage, thereby saving many lives.
It is very important to be able to correctly measure your pulse on your hand!
Before you start measuring your pulse, you need to understand what a pulse is.
The pulse is a vibration of the vessel wall, which can be determined by palpation, that is, by touch. The human body has many vessels, they are divided into arteries and veins. Well, bullets can only be detected in arteries, because arteries pulsate.
In general, vessels, and arteries in particular, are essentially elastic tubes with an extensible wall. Therefore, when the heart contracts and throws blood into the vascular bed, the portion of blood leads to stretching of the vessel. A so-called pulse wave arises, which spreads from the aorta to all arteries.
Places in the body where the pulse can be felt.
To correctly measure your pulse yourself, you need to know where exactly you can measure and feel it. There are not many places in our body that are ideal for measuring our pulse. Correct measurement of the pulse is possible in areas of our body where the vessel does not go very deep from the skin and where bone formations lie under the vessels. Under such conditions, it is possible to palpate the vessel and its pulsation. So these places in our body are: the wrist, the temporal region, the area of the carotid arteries, groin area, popliteal region, foot.How to find your pulse on your wrist.
The bullet can be felt best and easiest on the hand on the wrist. Before looking for a pulse on the wrist, let's understand what the wrist is. Everyone knows what a hand is, that it consists of fingers. From a medical point of view, the hand also includes the metacarpus - at the base - five metacarpal bones, and the wrist. Everyone knows what a palm is, so the palm corresponds to the metacarpus, and what lies in front of the palm, proximally, that is, closer to the elbow, is the wrist. We can say that the wrist is the narrow part of the hand that connects the forearm to the palm. The pulse is palpable, that is, felt on the palmar side of the wrist. Normally, it can be felt in two places corresponding to the course of the radial and ulnar arteries. The radial artery goes laterally, the ulnar artery goes medially. Now I’ll try to explain what lateral and medial mean. If you look at your palm, the part that is closer to the thumb (first) finger will be lateral, and the part that is closer to the little finger (fifth finger) will be medial. Usually the radial artery is slightly better developed, so it is easier to find the pulse in the lateral part of the wrist, under the base of the thumb muscles.
Correct pulse counting on the hand
Well, okay, we found it, felt the pulse and we need to count it.
In medicine, the number of pulse waves per minute is considered the norm. Normally it ranges from 50 to 85 per minute. Thus, in order to determine whether our pulse is normal or not, it is necessary to count the number of vibrations of the vascular wall per minute.
If you are in a hurry, then you can count in 30 seconds and multiply by 2. If you are in a hurry, then you can count in 15 seconds and multiply by 4. But it is more reliable and exact result It turns out if you count the pulse exactly per minute.
Pulse is a value that can change over time. If a person experiences physical activity, it quickens; if a person is at rest, the pulse slows down. The pulse also changes depending on emotional state a person, so when excited, the pulse becomes faster. During sleep, the pulse is lower. The pulse does not always reflect every contraction of the heart. Sometimes, for example, with extrasystole - an extraordinary contraction of the heart, a pulse wave is not formed.
Now you know what a pulse is and how to measure it correctly on your hand. I wish everyone a normal pulse!