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Heart rate is the number of times your heart beats per minute.
you could determine your heart rate by feeling your pulse at your wrist or neck.
Normal heart rate at rest ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute (bpm).
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Heart rate varies with activity, sleep, hormones, and stress.
Certain medications and medical conditions may affect heart rate.
Heart rate varies throughout the day, minute by minute, based on the state of your body.
Typically, theresting heart ratein adults is less than 90 bpm.
However, this is not to say that heart rates above 100 bpm or below 60 bpm are necessarilydangerous.
Additionally, resting heart rates a bit lower than 60 bpm may be completely normal.
This is particularly true in young, healthy, and fit individuals and also during sleep.
These slower heart rates have to do with the conditioning of the heart that occurs with regular physical exercise.
Very high or low heart rates are usually due to an arrhythmia or an abnormal heart rhythm.
What Is an Arrhythmia?
An arrhythmia is a problem that occurs in the heart’s specialized electrical system.
The result is a synchronized and rhythmic contraction of the heart.
In arrhythmias, there is a problem with this system.
The electrical impulse may be blocked anywhere along its path (heart block), resulting in bradycardia.
Or, the electrical impulse can start outside or propagate outside the sinus node, resulting in tachycardia.
A Word From Verywell
Your heart rate is the number of times your heart beats per minute.
A normal resting heart rate ranges between 60 and 100 beats per minute.
Getting regular exercise and eating a heart-healthy diet can help prevent heart disease and the risk of arrhythmias.
you’re able to feel a pulse at different points overarteriesin your body.
In the neck beneath the jaw on either side, you could feel your carotid artery pulsating.
Studies have shown that higher resting heart rates are linked to worse outcomes.
There is no overall cutoff for ideal heart rate during exercise.
Use a timer to count the number of beats you feel in 30 seconds.
Then, multiply that number by two to determine the heart rate in beats per minute.
Arrhythmia risk also increases with age.
These include:
Unsure About Your Heart Rate?
Arrhythmias can also be the result of serious problems like a heart attack.
They will also look at the heart’s rhythm using anelectrocardiogram.
Summary
Heart rate is the number of times your heart beats per minute.
A normal resting heart rate is between 60 and 100 bpm.
Resting heart rates of less than 60 bpm are also normal during sleep and in physically fit individuals.
Heart rates below 30 bpm or above 250 bpm are typically due to an arrhythmia and are potentially serious.
Seek immediate medical attention for serious symptoms like chest discomfort, difficulty breathing, or loss of consciousness.
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