The frequency of heartbeats is usually denoted by the term "pulse". Its norm for different people under various circumstances varies significantly. This indicator depends on quite a few factors: age, state of health, air temperature, fitness of the body, etc.
Changing the pulse, the difference in its values for different people under the same circumstances does not always indicate any deviations. In most cases, this demonstrates the ability of the heart to help the body adapt to the characteristics of the environment and correlate its capabilities with the state of its own internal environment.
The pulse, the norm of which is most significantly different for children of different ages, at the beginning of life differs in twice as high as that characteristic of adults. In a newborn baby, the average heart rate is 140 beats per minute. At the same time, the limits of the norm are indicators, starting from 110 strokes and ending with 170.
Growing up is accompanied by a decrease in heart rate. For example, by the age of four, the children's pulse (normal 85-125 strokes) becomes less frequent compared to the infancy period by 40-50%. And by the age of 12-15 this indicator is already compared with that of an adult.
In adulthood, when the body is in its best physical form (we limit this period to a rather large segment from 15 to 50 years), the average person’s heart rate is 70 beats per minute (normal limits are 60-80 beats). After fifty years, the heart gradually begins to weaken, especially in untrained people, and this leads to an increase in heart rate at the age of 60-80 years on average up to 75-80 beats (possibly up to 90).
In addition to age, the state of a person greatly affects the pulse. During sports or other significant physical exertion, or strong bursts of emotions, the processes in the body change their usual pace. Similarly, their pulse changes. Its norm can increase by about 3-3.5 times. However, the heartbeat may increase at rest during overwork and illness. This phenomenon is called tachycardia, and this is no longer the norm. In this case, you must consult a doctor.
In some cases, the pulse of a person, the norm for which under normal conditions has always been higher, may decrease. Slowing heart rate at rest to less than 60 beats may indicate an improvement in health, for example, due to good training. It is known that among professional athletes involved in athletic sports, which require special endurance, the pulse rate normally does not exceed 40 beats. A completely different situation is a slowing of the pulse for no apparent reason, accompanied by dizziness, a feeling of fatigue and other unpleasant symptoms. In such cases, only a doctor can help identify the cause of the pulse jumps.
To correctly measure your heart rate yourself, you need to follow a few simple rules. It is necessary to slightly press the pulsating artery with two fingers (index and middle) and count the strokes in 15 seconds, then multiply the figure by four. Children usually measure their pulse by placing a palm on their chest.
It must be remembered that you need to measure the pulse in the same position (sitting, lying), because the heart is sensitive to this. Only under this condition can the reliability of the measurement results be achieved.
To know your own heart rate accurately, it is not enough to take just one measurement of it. It will take at least three. The best time for this is morning, immediately after waking up. It is advisable to count the heartbeats not even in 15 seconds, but in a full minute, in order to avoid errors. After all measurements, you need to calculate the arithmetic average - this is the real indicator of your heart rate.