What do you need to know about heart rate?

Posted by Cardiologist - Department of Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Phu Quoc International General Hospital

Your heart rate, or pulse, is the number of times your heart beats per minute. Normal heart rate varies from person to person, and from person to person at every age. Understanding heart rate can be an important measure of heart health. Depending on age, the frequency and regularity of the heartbeat may change.
Even if you're not an athlete, knowledge of your heart rate can help you keep track of your fitness levels and can help you spot health problems.

The best places to count your heart rate by taking your pulse are: wrists, inside of elbows, sides of neck, tops of insteps, center of inguinal folds.
Use 2 fingers: your index and middle fingers take the pulse in the other hand at the position where the palm of the hand meets the thumb. For the most accurate results, count the number of beats in 60 seconds. Or you can count your pulse for 10 seconds and multiply by 6 to find your pulse per minute. Normally the pulse rate will be equal to the heart rate.
When is the heart rate assessment accurate? It is the heart rate measured at rest, i.e. when you are sitting or lying down and when you are calm, relaxed and not sick. The resting heart rate is also known as the “resting heart rate”.

Your normal resting heart rate ranges from 60-100 beats per minute. But a heart rate lower than 60 doesn't mean you have a health problem. It can be the result of taking medications such as beta blockers. A lower heart rate is also common among physically active people or athletes. Active people often have a lower resting heart rate (as low as 40) because their heart muscle is in better condition and it doesn't have to work as much to maintain a steady beat. Low or moderate physical activity usually doesn't change resting heart rate much.

Air temperature: When the temperature and humidity are high, the heart pumps a little more blood, so your heart rate may increase, but usually no more than 5 to 10 beats per minute.
Posture: Rest, sitting or standing, your pulse is usually the same. Sometimes when you stand for the first 15 to 20 seconds, your pulse may go up a bit, but after a few minutes it stabilizes.
Emotions: If you are stressed, anxious, happy or sad your emotions can increase your heart rate.
Body size: Body size usually does not change heart rate. If you are overweight, you may find your resting rate is higher than normal, but usually not more than 100.
Medication use: Adrenaline blockers (beta blockers) tend to slow your heart rate.
If your heart rate is too high, you are stressed. So calm down. If your heart rate is too low then you need to push yourself to work out a little harder.

To have good health you need to exercise regularly. Exercise intensity as well as daily physical activity will change your heart rate. To have a healthy heart, you must adjust the intensity of your activity so that your heart rate changes within a certain range, within that range, your heart will have time to adapt and work most efficiently. . That heart rate range is called the “target heart rate”.
During the first few weeks of training, aim for the lowest target heart rate (equivalent to 50% of your maximum heart rate) and gradually increase physical activity so that your heart rate moves into the range higher (equivalent to 85% of your maximum heart rate). After six months or more, you can exercise comfortably at 85% of that maximum heart rate.
This table shows the estimated target heart rate for different ages. Your maximum heart rate is about 220 minus your age. In the age closest to your age, find your target heart rate.
These figures are averages and can be used as a general guide:

If you are taking beta-blockers to lower your heart rate (and lower blood pressure) or control an irregular rhythm (arrhythmia), your doctor may ask you to monitor and record your heart rate. Comment the drug name on your heart rate chart to help your doctor determine the dose or switch to a different medication.
If your pulse is very low or if you regularly have unexplained fast heartbeats, especially if they make you feel weak or dizzy or faint, call your doctor, he or she will pay. Do you need to meet in person? Your pulse or heart rate is an important predictor of your health.
Important Note: Some antihypertensive drugs lower the maximum heart rate and thus the target heart rate. If you are taking such medication, call your doctor to find out if you need to use a lower target heart rate.
Vinmec Phu Quoc International General Hospital gathers a team of leading experts, experienced at home and abroad in the field of Cardiology as well as other fields such as: digestion, urology, ... with the regular support and coordination of experts and doctors throughout the Vinmec System. In addition, experts and doctors at the hospital are also regularly sent to attend domestic and international training courses, in order to update surgical techniques in the world, exchange programs, and cooperate with others. Cooperate with foreign doctors to improve their skills.
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Articles refer to the source: Heart.org; Update.com