A simple pulse check can reveal if you have any irregularities in your heartbeat.
It’s important because an irregular heartbeat can be a sign you are developing a heart condition.

How to Check Your Pulse at Home

Finding your pulse

The easiest places to find your pulse are:

Your wrist

1. Place one of your hands out so you’re looking at your palm.
2. Use your index finger and middle finger of your other hand and place the pads of these fingers on the inside of your wrist, on the wrist near the base of your thumb.
3. Press lightly and feel the pulse. If you can’t feel anything press a little harder.

How to measure your pulse

Once you’ve found the pulse, stay with it for 30 seconds. Notice if it feels regular or irregular.

You can work out your heart rate in beats per minute (bpm) by:

• Counting the number of beats in your pulse after 60 seconds

or

• Counting the beats for 6 seconds and then multiplying that number by 10

If your pulse feels irregular, count for a full 60 seconds. If you’re concerned, talk to your GP or contact Tampa Cardio.

What should you check?

You should check your heart rhythm

• Whether it’s regular or irregular. Occasional irregularities such as missed beats are common and usually, nothing to worry about, but it’s still a good idea to check with your doctor. Let them listen with a trained ear and see what they think.
• An irregular pulse could also be a sign of an arrhythmia (an abnormal heart rhythm), such as atrial fibrillation (AF). This holds especially true if you are over the age of 65.

Check your heart rate

• Adult hearts should have a resting heart rate between 60 and 100 bpm
• Your heart rate may be lower if you workout a lot, or take beta blocker medication

It is important to note that your pulse may increase during the day when doing your normal activities or when at the gym, running, biking, or doing other strenuous activities.

It’s best to check your pulse when you’re at rest for a true reading. Reading it after exercise to see how quickly it returns to normal can also help to show how cardiovascularly fit you are.

If you are concerned about your findings, come see us. www.tampacardio.com | 813-975-2800. Let the doctors at Tampa Cardiovascular Associates evaluate your cardiovascular health. It can give you peace of mind and even detect heart disease early offering you the best possible treatment.