What is heart rate? We will examine in more detail in this matter. Health is by far the most important part of any person’s life. That is why the task of everyone is to control their condition and maintain good health. The heart is very important in the circulation, since the heart muscle enriches the blood with oxygen and pumps it. In order for this system to work properly, constant monitoring of the state of the heart, including heart rate and contractions, which are integral indicators that are responsible for the functioning of the heart, is required. How to measure heart rate?
Heart Beat Concepts
The heart rate is a physiological characteristic that reflects the normal rhythm of the heartbeat, widely used both in medicine and in professional sports. Heart rate is determined by a number of many factors and can fluctuate significantly due to the influence of various reasons, but it is important that these indicators do not exceed the established limits. Reducing or increasing the frequency of heart oscillations in a pathological form often leads to aggravation of diseases of the endocrine, nervous and cardiovascular systems, and can also cause serious health consequences.
What is the difference between heart rate and heart rate?
Most people think it's the same thing. But it is not so. Heart rate reflects the number of contractions made by the heart, and specifically the ventricles (lower parts), in one minute. Pulse rate, or pulse, is the number of arterial dilatations during a cardiac output of blood also in one minute. When passing through the vessels, blood during heart contractions creates a bulge in the arteries that can be detected by touch. Heart rate and heart rate can be of equal value, but this is characteristic only for a healthy person. For example, with rhythmic disturbances, the heart begins to contract randomly. When it is reduced twice in a row, the left ventricle does not have time to fill up with blood. The second contraction, therefore, already occurs with an empty ventricle, and blood is not ejected from it into the peripheral vessels and into the aorta. In this regard, a pulse will not be felt in the arteries, although a cardiac contraction occurs. During atrial fibrillation and a number of other pathologies, a mismatch in pulse rate and heart rate is observed. This phenomenon is called pulse deficiency. In such cases, it becomes impossible to determine heart rate through pulse measurements. This can only be done by listening to heart beats, for example, using a phonendoscope. It is important to know how to measure your heart rate correctly.
Norm indicators
In adults, the normal heart rate ranges from 60 to 80 beats per minute. With a frequency of less than 60, this phenomenon is called bradycardia, more than 80 - tachycardia. The rate of heart rate by age is shown below.
At rest, the indicator will differ depending on the following factors:
- age
- the gender of the person;
- training;
- body sizes.
In newborns, this indicator most often ranges from 120 to 140 strokes per minute. In a premature baby, the value is higher - from 140 to 160. By the year it decreases and reaches 110-120, at five years old - up to 100, by ten - up to 90, by thirteen - up to 80. The rate of heart rate by age will help to figure this out .
A trained person
If a person is constantly training, then his heart rate is lower than normal and averages about 50. If a sedentary lifestyle is being conducted, then up to 100 strokes can be achieved at rest. The heart rate of women is higher than men by about six strokes, before the onset of menstruation increases even more. The normal heart rate in a healthy elderly person is often 80 beats. With an increase in this figure to 160, one can judge the presence of a serious pathology.
Many are interested in the technique of measuring heart rate.
When are changes observed?
At different times of the day, the value is not the same. The change in the indicator can be traced during the day due to the influence of various factors:
- in minutes of fear, excitement, anger and other emotions;
- with physical activity;
- after meal;
- depending on the position of the body (standing, sitting or lying);
- after consuming a number of drugs.
The heart rate increases after eating, in particular this applies to protein and hot dishes. If the body temperature rises to 37 degrees, the frequency increases by twenty strokes. When a person sleeps, it decreases by about five to seven strokes. An increase in heart rate of approximately ten percent is observed in the sitting position and by twenty - standing.
The frequency of strokes is also increased:
- in stressful situations;
- during physical exertion;
- when in a hot and stuffy room.
Consider how to measure heart rate.
How are measurements taken?
This must be done in a warm and quiet room at rest. To carry out the procedure, you need an assistant and a stopwatch. About an hour before the measurement, you need to give up emotional and physical stress, as well as smoking. It is undesirable to take medications and drink alcoholic beverages. Anyone who is going to measure heart rate can sit down or lie down. After the person has taken the necessary position, you need to calmly sit or lie down for five minutes. At this time, the assistant puts a clean, dry palm on the chest in a certain area, which depends on the gender: in a man, below the left nipple, in a woman, under the mammary gland. How to determine heart rate?
It is necessary to feel the blow in the upper part of the heart against the chest, that is, the apical impulse. It is heard in half of healthy people in a standing position in the fifth intercostal space. If it is impossible to determine, we can judge that the blow falls on the rib. Then a stopwatch is taken and the person’s heartbeat count starts for a minute. If the rhythm is wrong, then this is done within three minutes, after which the resulting number is divided by three.
However, what is heart rate, not everyone knows.
Other places to measure heart rate
The indicator can also be measured in other places where arteries are located close to the surface. Ripple is well felt:
- on the neck;
- at the temple;
- under the collarbone;
- on the hip;
- on shoulders.
You need to measure the pulse on both sides of the body to get more accurate results. What is the difference between heart rate and heart rate, we explained.
Maximum rate
The maximum heart rate reflects the largest number of beats in a minute that can be done by the heart. This indicator is used by athletes in order to determine what maximum load can be given on the heart. Heart rate is best determined clinically, a cardiologist should do this using an electrocardiograph or using a treadmill. Another simple way to identify the capabilities of your own heart is to calculate the maximum heart rate using the following formula (the result in this case is approximate):
- for men, age is taken away from 220;
- women need to subtract age from the number 226.
Now we know what the maximum heart rate in a healthy person is. Move on.
What causes tachycardia and bradycardia?
If the heart rate does not meet the norm in a calm state, one can judge the presence of a certain disease. Most often, other pathological manifestations are noted.
When accompanied by tachycardia with symptoms such as shortness of breath, dizziness, fainting, weakness, we cannot exclude:
- heart disease;
- infectious disease;
- the onset of a stroke;
- endocrine system disorders;
- diseases of the nervous system;
- anemia;
- tumor processes.
Bradycardia can be normal in such cases:
- 40 strokes - for athletes;
- in people who engage in heavy physical labor;
- with the use of a number of drugs.
It may also indicate the following diseases:
- heart attack;
- poisoning;
- hypothyroidism;
- gastric ulcer;
- myocardial inflammation.
It would be correct to measure heart rate under load.
Tachycardia
This type of arrhythmia is characterized by heart palpitations. Tachycardia has two types:
- sinus, which occurs due to excessive activity of the CA site, which sends electrical impulses that cause the heart to contract;
- paroxysmal or ectopic - appears when the outcome of the pulses is not from the CA site, but from the ventricles or atria.
Paroxysmal tachycardia, depending on the source of the impulse, can be ventricular and supraventricular. If supraventricular arrhythmia, then the heart muscle begins to contract in the atria, that is, above the ventricles. Tachycardia of this type have the following varieties:
- physiological - increased heart rate during physical exertion (are the norm and do not require treatment);
- reciprocal, when the annular passage of the contractile impulse occurs accelerated;
- focal - the contractile impulse does not come from the sinus node, but from a stronger source;
- fibrillation and flutter - a strong and erratic atrial contraction.
With gastric tachycardia, contractile impulse occurs in the ventricles. This species is most often more dangerous. The following types are available:
- extrasystoles - an extraordinary reduction in greater strength than usual, with repeated repetition leads to tachycardia, although it does not pose a threat in itself;
- long QT interval syndrome - detection is possible only by means of an electrocardiogram (if the indicator is high, various kinds of arrhythmias develop);
- ventricular flutter and fibrillation - a strong and chaotic contraction.
In general, tachycardia has such main symptoms as a strong and frequent heartbeat, general weakness, and shortness of breath.
In order to determine it, you need to know how to calculate heart rate by ECG.
Bradycardia
This type of arrhythmia is characterized by a reduced frequency of contractions of the heart muscle. The following types of bradycardia are distinguished:
- physiological, which is observed at complete rest or at night, the pulse does not decrease too much, and such an arrhythmia is not considered a pathology, does not require treatment;
- parasympathetic - bradycardia, which is associated with the vagus nerve; most often, seizures bother at night, in some cases after eating or intense physical activity;
- CA node weakness syndrome - when the sinoatrial node slowly transmits signals to the heart muscle, in connection with which the rhythm slows down;
- atrioventricular blockages, which appear due to defects in the synchronism of the contractile rhythm, if the atria are reduced more often than the ventricles.
It is worth noting that bradycardia can sometimes occur without symptoms at all, and can cause significant ailments. In some cases, it can cause arrhythmic shock and lead to death. Very rarely there is a syndrome in which tachycardia and bradycardia occur simultaneously, and a slow and rapid heartbeat follows one after another.
We examined how to measure heart rate.