:max_bytes(150000):strip_icc()/VWH-GettyImages-155771025-097aac47c21f4b3199c1e545fa7806a7.jpg?w=780&resize=780,470&ssl=1 "How to check your heart rate at home (and what it reveals on your health)")
Main to remember
- Measuring your heart rate at home is easy without the need for devices, but they are available. Some are more precise than others.
- As a rule, the healthy beach for a rest at rest is between 60 and 100 bpm. However, some experts estimate that the ideal range is closer to 50 to 70 BPM, depending on personal factors.
- Reading the unique heart rate outside the normal beach is generally harmless, especially during activity. A heart rate at rest, which is always high or low may indicate an underlying problem.
Knowing your heart rate can help you assess the functioning of your heart at this precise moment. Normal heart rate frequencies tend to vary from person to person, so measure frequently can help you establish a reference base.
Tips for measuring your heart rate
To measure your heart rate at home, everything you need is your fingers and the possibility of counting or using a timer.
To check your heart rate, you can:
- Take your index and fingers in the middle and press lightly under your thumb with your opposite hand, or place the same fingers on the side of your neck under the jaw
- Once in position, you should be able to feel your heart rate beating slightly against your fingers
- Count how many times you feel the beats in a 15 -second window
- Take the total number of beats in this window and multiply this number by 4 to obtain the number of beats per minute (BPM), which is your heart rate
- Repeat the BPM several times and on average to obtain the most precise number
There are also assistance devices that you can use to monitor your heart rate, such as activity trackers. These trackers constantly measure your heart rate when worn, giving an overview of how your heart rate fluctuates throughout the day and offering a medium frequency at medium rest (RHR).
Your heart rate frequency is the speed at which your heart beats per minute at rest, and it can be used to determine the risk of certain diseases of a person or its current state of health and heart function.
That said, these trackers are not always reliable and differ from one device to another. According to research, specific brands, such as Garmin and Apple Watch, can be more effective in collecting heart rate data than their competitors, including Fitbit.
RHR calculation
To determine your RHR, repeat the steps above several times during the hours or even days. You should avoid testing your heart rate after sitting or standing for long periods, within two hours of exercise or stress, or in the hour depending on caffeine consumption, as this can distort the results.
What is the ideal rest heart rate?
The RHR can vary considerably between individuals, depending on their level of health, genetics, sex and overall fitness. A healthy RHR is generally considered between 60 and 100 BPM, with lower heart frequencies which are healthier and associated with a lower risk of heart disease.
That said, according to Harvard Health Publishing, some experts say that the ideal RHR for a healthy individual is between 50 and 70 bpm.
Cardiac frequencies below 60 BPM are often considered healthy in very active athletes or adults.
What if your heart rate is too low or too high?
A single measure of heart rate outside the average beach is generally nothing to fear. For example, if you do the exercise, you can expect your heart rate to normal. However, in some cases, a RHR which is always too high or too low can report an underlying problem.
A RHR too low and is not correlated with athletics or good overall health is called bradycardia. If a person is generally not healthy and has a slow heart rate, this could be due to various conditions, including heart disease and sleep apnea.
When RHR is greater than 100 BPM, it is called tachycardia and can be associated with various problems, including heart disease, anemia, chronic pulmonary diseases, etc.
Evaluate heart rate at home
If you measure your heart rate at home and find that it is always too high or too low, it may be necessary to consult a medicine supplier for a more in -depth assessment. They will be able to assess your overall health level compared to your heart rate and determine why it is not in the generally healthy range.
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