The human body is in continuous work throughout life. Even when he is at rest, his organs continue to function. True, their work can be traced only with the help of devices specially designed for this. Only the heart demonstrates its activity without them. It signals how it works with the help of signals - the pulse.
Pulse - what is it?
This is the frequency with which the heart muscle contracts. It is an indicator of the health of the heart, which plays a major role in the entire system of human organs.
Thanks to the heart, the circulatory system works properly, the blood circulates normally. The pulse can be called the blood flow, its circulation. True, it can be felt only in those places where the vessels are very close to the skin, where there is no fat layer and muscles.
Features and characteristics of the pulse
It is checked according to certain criteria, which, due to various factors, can change the indicators:
1. Frequency - with its help, the value of vibrations of the artery walls for a given time period is recognized. The following factors affect the frequency:
- Age (in infants, the pulse is much more frequent);
- Physical fitness (for athletes, a rarer pulse is characteristic);
- Gender (women tend to be more frequent, the difference is about 10 beats per minute);
- Emotions (absolutely all strong emotions can speed up the heartbeat);
- Increased body temperature.
By frequency, palpation is divided into rare, frequent and medium frequency.
2. Rhythm - it shows the interval with which the pulse waves pass, which follow each other. There is a pulse, both rhythmic and beaten - arrhythmic.
3. Filling - the indicator at the moment of finding the pulse wave at a given height of the amount of blood in the artery. According to this principle, the pulse is divided into:
- Indistinctly defined;
- Barely perceptible;
- Overly filled;
- Medium filling.
In addition to these basic criteria, there are others, no less important:
- Voltage - the strength that is needed so that the artery can be completely squeezed. Divided into medium, soft and hard tension.
- Height - This is the oscillation of the walls of the artery. It can be determined by summing the voltage and filling indicators. The height is divided into medium, low and high.
- Speed or shape - the volume of the artery changes at a certain rate. The speedy is found in diseases such as anemia and fever. Slow can signal the manifestation of mitral stenosis and stenosis of the aortic ostium. But dicrotic (double) indicates that the tone of the peripheral artery may be depressive, while the contractile ability of the myocardium remains intact.
Heart rate measurement in humans
Ideal places where palpation is clearly felt are those with large arteries. First of all, this is the wrist and temples, as well as the neck and foot.
In medicine, as in everyday life, the most popular is the measurement on the wrist. Mainly because this method provides information much more accurately and more comprehensively than all other methods.
Why measure your pulse?
Finding and measuring the pulse is a very important process, and in certain life situations it is simply necessary. After all, this is not only an indicator of the work of the heart, it is one of the most important indicators of life. With its help, you can monitor your health and monitor the result of physical activity, especially in sports.
Heart rate is considered normal, which corresponds to the frequency with which the heart beats. When measuring, you need to know what is considered normal in frequency per minute:
- 60-90 - adult healthy person;
- 40-60 - athlete;
- 75-110 - a child over 7 years old;
- 75-120 - child from 2 to 7 years old;
- 120-160 - an infant.
Why does the heart rate change?
As a person grows up, the heart rate decreases significantly due to the fact that the cardiovascular system grows. As the heart grows, its strength increases, it needs fewer and fewer contractions to ensure normal blood flow. That is why athletes also experience a less frequent heartbeat, because they are used to the load.
The main feature of the pulse is its instability. At the moment, its indicators may change due to a number of reasons:
- Emotionality. The stronger the outburst of emotions, the faster it is.
- Health. Enough the body temperature rises by a degree, it will immediately increase by 10 beats.
- Food and drink. Not only alcohol or coffee can increase the heartbeat, but also food that is too hot.
- Physiological position. In a supine position, the pulse is slower, when a person sits down, it increases, and when he stands, it becomes even stronger.
- Time. Most often the heart beats from 8 am to noon, and the slowest at night.
Naturally, an increase in palpation will also occur during physical exertion. It is in this case that it is very important to monitor it so as not to exceed the maximum allowable threshold.
There is a special formula by which you can calculate this very threshold: From 220 you need to subtract your age.
How to measure the pulse correctly?
It is accepted to measure it within a minute, although the result can be recorded even after 15 seconds and increased by 4 times. In order to find and measure it, the wrist is wrapped around the index, middle and ring fingers. It is better for the stronger sex to measure on the left hand, and the beautiful on the right.
When your fingers feel a pulsation, you can start measuring. To maintain control - all received data are recorded.
Correct hand pulse measurement
The radial artery is known to be located on a person's wrist, and so close that it can be seen. That is why every person can make a measurement in this place.
To do this, you need to do the following:
- The hand turns with the palm up.
- The hand is kept at the height of the chest without support. Only a completely horizontal surface is allowed.
- On the second hand, two fingers (index and middle) are brought together and placed on the prepared wrist just below the thumb.
- Feel and find the artery. To the touch, it looks like a dense thin tube.
- Press a little on it so that the jolts begin to feel.
- Count the number of these shocks.
It is important to remember that it is necessary to probe it in no case with one, but with two fingers. Moreover, the thumb is not suitable for this at all due to its strong pulsation.
Correct measurement of the carotid pulse
It is not always possible to measure the pulse on the wrist, because, for example, in cases of loss of consciousness, the radial artery may not be felt. We have to resort to measuring the carotid artery.
To do this, it is worth doing just a few steps:
- The person should sit or lie on their back. Do not stand in any way.
- A pair of fingers (index and middle) should be carried along the neck from its top to the bottom. In this way, the most pulsating place is found. Most often it turns out to be a fossa in the neck.
- The fingers should not be strained, pressed or placed on two arteries at once. These actions can lead to fainting.
- Count the number of beats.
Some tips for measuring your heart rate:
- Do not use excessive force when measuring. This leads to constriction of the artery and the pulse will not be felt;
- You should not feel the palpation with one finger. This is especially true of the thumb, because it also pulsates slightly above the base;
- Before starting the measurement, lie down for a couple of minutes;
- It is strictly forbidden to palpate two carotid arteries at once because of the possibility of a decrease in blood flow to the brain;
- When measuring the pulse on the carotid artery, you should not use force, it will slow down the heart rate.
Using heart rate monitors
The heart rate monitor makes it possible to know about the physiological state of the body anywhere and at any time. In addition to the main function, absolutely any model is also equipped with a clock.
If we consider the functionality, then the most popular heart rate monitors with a standard combination of functions. So to speak, budget options.
For athletes and just people who monitor their health, keeping special journals, an important function is the ability to record training sessions and output data to a PC.
The most convenient option is a heart rate monitor. Its functionality is huge:
- The ability to set the interval;
- The presence of an alarm clock;
- Stopwatch;
- Pedometer with the ability to measure distance for various modes of movement;
- Altimeter, etc.
By measuring the pulse with or without special devices, you can monitor your health. But it should be remembered that if it is weakly felt or not felt at all, you should consult your doctor. This may signal malfunctioning of nearby organs.
