The human body works continuously throughout life. Even when we just rest or sleep, the internal organs still function. It is impossible to trace their work without special devices. But cardiac activity is quite realistic to determine, because the heart constantly sends its signals in the form of a pulse.
What is a pulse?
Pulse is the pressure of the blood flow created by contractions of the heart muscle. In other words, it reflects the rhythm, speed and strength of the heart. This organ makes the blood circulate rhythmically through the circulatory system. When it is pushed out of the heart, the vessels are filled more strongly, and this pressure can be felt by touching their walls. But before you find the pulse, right to measure it, you need to know in which place a person is best probed. How to measure the pulse in other parts of the body? It is necessary to find such areas where the vessels have maximum access to touch. In other words, so that there is no fat or muscle tissue between the skin and the blood vessel , there are several such places, these are:
- Wrist. Radiation artery ripple.
- On the ulnar artery.
- Elbow bend, on the brachial artery.
- Armpit.
- In the temple area above the eyebrow, where the temporal artery is visible.
- Neck at the passage of the carotid artery.
- The edge of the lower jaw and the angle of the mouth - in these places the facial pulse is palpated.
- Groin, meaning the inside of the thigh. A femoral pulse is felt here.
- Under the knee. You can measure the pulse in the pit of the leg bend, where the popliteal artery passes , do not bend the limb at the time of measurement.
- Feet Above the arch of the foot, in the middle or behind the lift, a heartbeat is felt.
There are circumstances in which it is impossible to determine the pressure in the most common place - the wrist. If the pulse measurement was not possible here, then you can use the other points given above.
Types of Heart Rate
Blood vessels differ not only in their location, but also in size and function. Therefore, the ripple can be different, namely:
- Arterial - oscillation of the walls of arteries, that is, those vessels that carry blood from the heart to all internal organs of a person.
- Venous - contraction of veins that push blood from organs to the heart.
- Capillary. This pulse also has a place to be, since even the smallest vessels experience some fluctuations from contractions of the heart muscle. But determining the pulse by capillary oscillations is undesirable due to a lot of interference. In addition, the blood pressure in the capillaries varies slightly, and you can notice only big changes.
It is very important to know how to find the pulse correctly. In most cases, when they talk about measuring the heart rate, they mean the search for an arterial indicator. Other varieties are needed for special medical research.
Why measure your pulse?
Pulse is one of the main signs of life; it helps to control a person’s state of health. Normally, the frequency of blood pulsation corresponds to the heart rate. Before you find the pulse, measure it correctly, you need to learn how to count it and know what is the norm. This is a resting heart rate per minute. Here are the main indicators of normal heart rate for various categories of people:
- 60-100 beats per minute - for an adult.
- 120-160 beats per minute– for newborn babies.
- 80-140 beats per minute - for children from 1 year and above.
- 75-120 beats per minute - for preschool children.
- 70-110 beats per minute - for children over 7 years old.
- 40-60 beats per minute - for some categories of trained people and athletes.
As a person grows, the heart rate decreases, because the larger and stronger the heart, the fewer movements he needs to make in order to ensure normal blood circulation for the whole body.
Why is my heart rate changing?
The heartbeat cannot be constant. Therefore, it is very important to know the normal indicator, since it is difficult to correctly measure the pulse. The heart rate can change in literally a few minutes under the influence of both external and internal factors. The most common causes affecting an increase or decrease in heart rate:
- Brought stress or emotions. The stronger these factors are, the more palpitations become.
- Health status. If a person rises in temperature, then, accordingly, the number of beats per minute increases.
- Some foods, drinks and alcohol. Stimulants of the central nervous system, such as coffee, tea, alcoholic beverages, accelerate the pulse rate, including hot foods.
- The position of the human body. The heart beats more slowly while a person is lying than a person who is sitting or standing.
- Massage, bathing, physical procedures.
- Times of Day. The most favorable period for the slowest heartbeat is the night when a person is resting. The maximum heart rate can be between 8-12 hours of the day and 18-20 hours of the evening.
With physical exertion, an increase in the heart rate is also observed. Therefore, before measuring the pulse, you need to choose a favorable time and atmosphere. Frequent heart movements can be caused by an inflammatory process, and a slow pulse can indicate anemia or metabolic disorders.
How to measure the pulse?
It is advisable to count the pulse within 1 minute, although you can fix it in 15 seconds, then multiply the amount obtained by 4. Before finding the pulse, correctly to measure it, you need to wrap your wrist with three fingers - nameless, middle and forefinger. It is advisable for men to do this on their left hand, and women on their right. When your fingers feel ripple, you need to start measuring your heart rate. The obtained data can be recorded for the following control and comparison.
Some heart rate tips
- Before measuring your heart rate, you need to lie down for a few minutes.
- You can not palpate both carotid arteries at the same time, as this can reduce the flow of blood to the brain.
- It is not recommended to press too hard on the neck during the palpation of the carotid artery, as this can lead to a slowdown in heart rate.
When any degree of irregular heartbeat is observed, it is urgent to seek medical advice from a doctor.