Test Overview
Your pulse is the rate at which your heart
beats. Your pulse is usually called your heart rate, which is the number of
times your heart beats each minute (bpm). But the rhythm and strength of
the heartbeat can also be noted, as well as whether the blood vessel feels hard
or soft. Changes in your heart rate or rhythm, a weak pulse, or a hard blood
vessel may be caused by heart disease or another problem.
As your
heart pumps blood through your body, you can feel a pulsing in some of the
blood vessels close to the skin's surface, such as in your wrist, neck, or upper
arm. Counting your pulse rate is a simple way to find out how fast your heart
is beating.
Your doctor will usually check your pulse during a
physical examination or in an emergency, but you can easily
. You can check your pulse the first thing in the
morning, just after you wake up but before you get out of bed. This is called a
resting pulse. Some people like to check their pulse before and after they
exercise.
You check your pulse rate by counting the beats in a set
period of time (at least 15 to 20 seconds) and multiplying that number to get
the number of beats per minute. Your pulse changes from minute to minute. It
will be faster when you exercise, have a fever, or are under stress. It will be
slower when you are resting.