Pulse how many per minute is normal

It's a fairly easy to do and having the information can help down the road. It's a good idea to take your pulse occasionally to get a sense of what's normal for you and to identify unusual changes in rate or regularity that may warrant medical attention. When you are at rest, your heart is pumping the lowest amount of blood to supply the oxygen your body's needs.

For most healthy adult women and men, resting heart rates range from 60 to beats per minute. However, a report from the Women's Health Initiative WHI indicated that a resting heart rate at the low end of that spectrum may offer some protection against heart attacks. If your resting heart rate is consistently above 80 beats per minute, you might want to talk to your doctor about how your heart rate and other personal factors influence your risk for cardiovascular disease.

The rate at which your heart is beating when it is working its hardest to meet your body's oxygen needs is your maximum heart rate. Your maximum heart rate plays a major role in setting your aerobic capacity—the amount of oxygen you are able to consume. Several large observational studies have indicated that a high aerobic capacity is associated with a lower risk of heart attack and death.

And a small controlled trial demonstrated that men and women with mild cognitive impairment who raised their aerobic capacity also improved their performance on tests of memory and reasoning. Vigorous exercise is the best way to both lower your resting heart rate and increase your maximum heart rate and aerobic capacity. Because it's impossible to maintain a maximum heart rate for more than a few minutes, physiologists have advised setting a percentage of your maximum heart rate as a target during exercise.

However, if you don't exercise regularly, you should check with your doctor before you set a target heart rate. Some medications—particularly beta blockers—can lower your heart rate. Your doctor can help you set realistic goals. This prepares the body to use more oxygen and energy to escape or confront potential danger.

The pulse is often confused with the heart rate but refers instead to how many times per minute the arteries expand and contract in response to the pumping action of the heart. The pulse rate is exactly equal to the heartbeat, as the contractions of the heart cause the increases in blood pressure in the arteries that lead to a noticeable pulse. When training for fitness, it is important not to put too much strain on the heart. However, an individual needs the heart rate to increase while exercising to provide more oxygen and energy for the rest of the body.

While the heart rate increases as a result of physical activity, an overall decrease in target heart rate is possible over time. This means that the heart is working less to get the necessary nutrients and oxygen to different parts of the body, making it more efficient. Cardiovascular training aims to reduce the target heart rate.

The ideal target heart rate reduces with age. It is also worth noting the maximum heart rate. This demonstrates the full capability of the heart, and it is normally reached through high-intensity exercise. The American Heart Association AHA states that the maximum heart rate during exercise should be roughly equal to bpm minus the age of the person.

As the body of each individual will react to exercise differently, the target heart rate is presented as a range known as the target heart rate zone. The following table shows the appropriate target heart rate zone for a range of ages.

It is recommended that people exercise regularly to work towards a healthy target heart rate. The AHA recommends the following amounts and levels of exercise per week:.

The speed of the heart is not the only factor to bear in mind when considering its health. The rhythm of the heartbeat is important too. The heart should beat with a steady rhythm, and there should be a regular gap between beats. The muscle has an electrical system that tells it when to beat and push blood around the body. A faulty electrical system can lead to an abnormal heart rhythm.

For adults, a fast heart rate is defined as a heart rate over beats per minute. There are many different types of tachycardia. Their classification is based on their cause and the part of the heart they affect. Experiencing tachycardia may be temporary. For athletes and people that exercise regularly, a heart rate of under 60 beats per minute is normal and even healthy.

Borderline or occasional bradycardia may not need treatment. But prolonged bradycardia, or bradycardia that is not treated, can become more serious. If you are already living with heart disease, heart failure, or a history of heart disease and notice a fluctuation in your heart rate, you should go to the doctor as soon as you can, as it could be a sign of a serious complication.

It could be a sign of a serious heart complication, and you should get yourself to the doctor or the emergency room as soon as you can. While there are a wide variety of wearable devices that can help you check your own heart rate, you can also do it manually. The American Heart Association has a simple method :. Tachycardia, which again is when your heart rate is faster than it should be, can be caused by underlying health conditions, such as:.

Taking illegal drugs such as stimulants, like cocaine or methamphetamines or misusing both prescription and non-prescription medicines like diet pills may also cause your heart to beat too fast.

Once a diagnosis is made, your doctor will work with you to develop a plan to treat and manage your condition. You should always aim to take good care of your heart.

This includes doing things like exercising regularly , eating a variety of heart-healthy foods , minimizing alcohol, and managing your weight.

Additionally, you should visit your doctor regularly for physicals. For example, athletes may have a resting heart rate of 40 to 60bpm, or lower. See a GP to get checked if you think your heart rate is continuously above bpm or below 60bpm, although it may simply be that this is normal for you. If you check your pulse during or immediately after exercise, it may give an indication of your fitness level.

A heart rate monitor is also useful for recording your heart rate when resting and during exercise. Aerobic activities such as walking, running and swimming are good types of exercise because they increase your heart and breathing rates. Read more from the British Heart Foundation on what your target heart rate should be when exercising. If you haven't exercised before, or haven't for some time, see our Live Well section to read about the benefits of exercise and how much exercise you should be doing.