Pulse rate

What is the pulse?

The pulse is simply the expansion of the arteries. This expansion is caused by an increase in blood pressure pushing against the elastic walls of the arteries each time our heart beats.

These arterial expansions rise and fall in time with the heart as it pumps our blood and then rests as it refills. The pulsations are felt at certain points on the body where larger arteries run closer to the skin.

Find out more from MNT about heart rates with an article that explains what constitutes a normal heart rate reading. We also have an article that answers the question, 

How to find a pulse

Arteries run closely under the skin at the wrist and neck, making the pulse particularly easy to find at these points.

Here are the simple steps needed to take a pulse at the wrist (radial pulse):

• Turn one hand over, so it is palm-side up
• Use the other hand to place two fingertips gently in the groove on the forearm, down from the fold of the wrist and about an inch along from the base of the thumb
• When the position is right, you should feel the pulsation of your heart beat

The pulse can also be found on the neck using two fingers in a similar way; gently press into the soft groove on either side of the windpipe (trachea).

This is the pulse running through one of the carotid arteries - the main arteries that run up the neck from the heart to the head.

Less easy places to find a pulse are:

• Behind the knees
• On the inside of an elbow when the arm is outstretched
• In the groin
• At the temple on the side of the head
• On the top or the inner side of the foot

How to record a pulse reading

Once the pulse has been found by following the steps above, hold still and:

• Use a timepiece or watch with a second hand, or look at a clock with a second hand
• Over the course of a minute or 30 seconds, count the number of beats felt
• The number of pulses over a minute is the standard heart rate measurement, which can also be calculated by doubling the number of pulses felt over 30 seconds