Keep your finger on the pulse

It’s Heart Rhythm Week, a period of action organised by the heart charity Arrhythmia Alliance and dedicated to the notion that everyone should know their pulse, the beat of the heart as it pumps blood around the body.  Knowing your pulse is vital as it could indicate an arrhythmia, a disturbance in the normal heartbeat.
 

600,000 people in the UK diagnosed with Atrial Fibrillation (AF), the most common form of arrhythmia in the UK, and this figure is rising by 200,000 each year.  Conditions such as AF can lead to further complications such as heart failure or a stroke but early detection could help alleviate this.

 

Everyone is different and it would be impossible to say exactly what someone’s pulse should be as there are a number of determining factors – age, fitness, medical condition, caffeine intake and smoking to name just a few.  Activities performed will also have an affect – being busy at work, being stuck in traffic or participating in exercise all have the potential to raise the heart rate.  The table below gives an indication of what the pulse and respiratory rates should be.

Certainly many people could have a pulse or respiratory rate much higher than these or even lower.  It is perhaps important to emphasise that these are only to be seen as a rough guide.  They do however give an idea of what a normal healthy person’s pulse and respiratory rate should be at rest.
 

In order to get a baseline of what your pulse is at rest, try taking it when you wake in the morning and before going to bed.  It is often a good idea to take your pulse at various points throughout the day, particularly if you are participating in exercise or doing something that you could consider stressful.
 

The pulse can be taken at several places on the body – neck, elbow, groin, knee, ankle etc. – but the easiest pulse to take is the radial pulse, on the wrist just below the joint of the thumb.

Before you start make sure you can see a clock or a watch that has a second hand.  Using your index and middle finger on one hand, feel the wrist of the other at the base of the thumb until you detect the beat of the pulse.  Apply sufficient pressure to feel the pulse but not so much as to cut it off.  Ideally you should count for a minute, but failing that count for thirty seconds and then multiply your count by two to get the beats per minute.
 

So what does this tell you?  If your pulse is constantly too fast or too slow then you should consider seeking medical attention by arranging to see your GP.  The pulse should have a relatively constant beat so lookout for any irregularities such as an extra beat or a missed beat.  Again if you are concerned then arrange to see your GP.