Many doctors recommend monitoring your heart rate. What is it for? And how to measure your pulse yourself, at home?
What is the purpose of measuring the pulse?
Minor changes in the work of the cardiovascular system can cause subjective complaints of a person about the general condition. How important is heart rate control?
In ordinary life
A person experiences many unpleasant symptoms with improper cardiac functioning. Over time, his performance deteriorates, fatigue and other symptoms develop rapidly.
So in people who overload the body with physical exercise, or experience constant emissions of extrasystoles, brachycardia develops - a condition that appears with slow heartbeats.
With brachycardia, a person may experience constant weakness, drowsiness, dizziness and the appearance of cold sweats, and his breathing becomes difficult. But slow heartbeats do not always lead to disturbing symptoms in general.
Arrhythmia can lead to more severe conditions. In any case, with severe symptoms, a cardiologist's consultation and pulse control are required.
It should also be measured in people with neurological conditions, pregnant women and the elderly. In the first case, pulse control can help in determining the dynamics of treatment, in the second, it is necessary for the normal development of the fetus, and in all three - to control the work of the heart in order to maintain health.
During sports
Heart rate monitoring is essential during sports. And this is due not only to the selection of a suitable complex for training, but also to their effectiveness aimed at burning fat.
The maximum effect of physical activity can be achieved only with the correct heart rate at the same interval and normal pressure.
In order to quickly burn fat, you should ensure that the pulse is constantly in the aerobic zone during training, which will be determined by a qualified instructor.
During training, the heart rate is gradually in the following zones:
- Weak load. The algorithm of work is to warm up the muscles, a person during this period performs simple exercises or runs slowly, and his breathing and pulse are slightly faster.
- Fitness area. Physical activity is almost identical to the first stage, only it differs in one positive side. It is in the upcoming aerobic fitness zone that fat burning becomes a more effective method of fighting excess weight.
- Aerobic zone. The most important stage. During this period, the already carefully heated body acts according to the previously established algorithm in an enhanced mode. Breathing quickens and intensifies, heart rate decreases more often, and fat is burned more efficiently. But you can't constantly load the heart with physical activity. Pulse and exercise should be monitored! At all three stages, it is necessary to control the contractions of the heart muscle.
If you do not want to wait for an instructor for a long time to help control, you can do this yourself with the help of a special watch or by palpation.
How to measure your heart rate yourself?
Heart rate control is necessary not only during physical activity, but also in everyday life. In case of tangible failures in the number of strokes and their severity, consultation with a cardiologist is required.
Minor failures in the cardiovascular system can be signaled by mild changes in the pulse when measuring it. You can count the number of strokes by palpation, or using a special watch, but the latter method will give accurate readings.
Palpation
During palpation measurement, the following goals are pursued, which consists in determining:
- the state of the vascular walls;
- impact frequency;
- filling the pulse;
- the severity of his tension.
All these indicators indicate the state of the cardiovascular system. You can palpate the pulse at home.
It is most often felt on the surface between the wrist flexion and the radius. To measure the pulse, touch this zone with the index, middle and ring fingers at the same time.
If the pulse is not palpable at the wrist, it can be detected in the area of the dorsum of the foot and arteries such as:
- sleepy;
- temporal;
- ulnar;
- femoral.
There are 2 steps that are important to follow:
- When palpation determination of pulse tension, blood pressure should be measured without fail. Tension is easily determined if a lot of effort is required for palpation measurements while pressing on the artery. The higher the blood pressure, the more intense the pulse.
- The most accurate readings in children are given by palpation of the pulse in the area of the temporal artery. The algorithm for measuring the pulse by palpation:
- First, the hands should be given a comfortable position. After that, the intensity of the pulse is checked on both. On the hand with a more pronounced pulse, the count is performed. If the pulsation is symmetrical on both arteries, measurement on a specific hand is not important.
- After that, the artery is pressed on the hand so that the position of the index finger of the inspector's hand corresponds to the position of the thumb of the person whose pulse is measured. Press lightly on the artery.
- The measuring time interval can be either a minute or half of it. For the most accurate indicator, a minute is used, but if the time of the person being measured or measuring is limited, you can count the number of beats in 30 seconds and multiply by 2. As a result, the measurement algorithm is equated to the first option.
- When measuring, it is also advisable to pay attention to the voltage of the pulse, how full and tense it is. These indicators are best determined by the attending physician.
With a special watch
There is an opinion that heart rate meters (special watches) are intended only for athletes. This is fundamentally wrong. When measuring, the pressure is monitored and the pulse is counted.
These indicators are necessary for people suffering from cardiovascular diseases, and healthy people who want to control their condition in order to consult a doctor in a timely manner. Manufacturers and developers of special watches were guided by this.
There is already an improved model of special watches on the market, similar in appearance to the item of the accessory. Only the algorithm is different.
With the help of such a meter, the beats of the pulse and pressure are correctly calculated, and then this information is processed via wireless channels. The result is displayed on the dial. The usability of this device has already been appreciated by qualified neurologists and cardiologists.
Measurement results
By measuring the frequency of contractions, it is determined whether this indicator is within the normal range. The pulse can change both under the influence of external factors and pathological conditions.
It is important to know that an altered heart rate can also occur when the body adapts to a new climate and environment.
What can be determined by heart rate?
By heart rate, you can determine various diseases of a neurological or cardiovascular nature. So if a person has a neurosis, it can be determined by the increased pulse rate measured during nervous tension.
People with neurosis react to mildly stressful situations, resulting in:
- The nervous system is straining.
- The heart rate increases.
- Blood pressure rises.
As a result, cardiac neurosis develops, and then more serious diseases of this organ. People with a constant tense atmosphere or with irregular work schedules are often exposed to neurosis.
The pulse should be measured at rest. Then, depending on its frequency, tachycardia, brachycardia, heart failure or arrhythmia can be diagnosed.
Normal pulse
Even with the adaptation of the body to the environment, the pulse rate can be changed. But this factor should not affect the work of the cardiovascular system for a long time, and over time, the pulse rate should be reduced to normal.
In a newborn, it reaches 140, in a one-year-old - 110, in a three-year-old - 95, in a 14-year-old - just like in an adult - it varies from 60 to 90 beats per minute. Moreover, an equal time interval between blows plays an important role. In case of their failure or excessively frequent beating, the doctor may require an ecg to be performed in order to exclude heart disease or prescribe treatment tactics.
The number of hits can be influenced by gender and age. So in people under 30, the norm is no more than 70 beats per minute, in 50-year-olds - 80, and in 70-year-olds and older - 90. This increase is due to the fact that the organs are subject to aging, and they require a large pumping of blood. which occurs with the help of heart contractions.
It should also be borne in mind that women have a smaller heart than men and require more frequent contractions to pump blood adequately. During pregnancy, the pulse increases even more. The normal indicator here is up to 110 beats / min.
What does too fast pulse indicate?
In case of deviations from the norm up to 10%, a medical consultation is required. So, if the pulse is too fast, people experience tachycardia, caused by increased activity of the sinus-atrial node.
Occurs when:
- Smoking.
- Physical activity.
- Nervous tension.
- Pain.
- Colds and infectious diseases.
- Drinking alcohol or strong caffeinated foods.
- Physiological occurs in children.
These factors give rise to temporary tachycardia. Long-term can be caused by:
- Pathological conditions of the heart muscle.
- Poor circulation.
- Shock or collapse of a different nature
- Extracardiac causes (tumors, anemia, purulent foci, etc.).
- Adrenaline, nitrates, atropine.
- VSD.
Chronic neurosis is characterized by paroxysmal tachycardia (paroxysmal). The pulse rate can reach 200 beats per minute. Too fast heartbeat leads to rapid deterioration of the organ and can signal the presence of a serious illness, and therefore consultation of a cardiologist or a related specialist is necessary.
Pulse too rare
Often, people experience a too rare pulse, determined by a heart rate of less than 60 beats per minute.
What contributes to this:
- sick sinus syndrome;
- irregular heartbeat caused by frequent interruptions with extrasystoles, heart block or atrial fibrillation;
- brachycardia caused by extracardiac factors.
The latter include:
- freezing or living in conditions with low air temperatures;
- parasympathetic conditions of the nervous system;
- intracranial pressure;
- beta blockers;
- intoxication;
- impaired functioning of the thyroid gland.
As for the non-pathological state of a reduced heart rate, athletes with excessive physical exertion can also experience this. In this case, not medical supervision is required, but the normalization of loads.
Runner's heart rate while running
Pulse control is also required while running. Often, when fighting obesity, people use treadmills without adhering to normal performance.
How to control?
With such physical exertion, the heart works in a stressful mode. Running should be good for you, not bad for your health.
Heart rate while running:
- 120 beats per minute is the figure that runners should adhere to during the first three months;
- 135 beats / min are permissible only if the heart is accustomed to a certain load while running;
- 150 beats per minute is considered a critical metric for beginners and professional runners.
In conclusion, it should be noted that pulse control is necessary for absolutely everyone. Indeed, some may have the misconception that their pulse is normal, but in fact it is rare and weak. This condition requires medical attention if the person experiences other unpleasant symptoms.
