You can check your heart rate by taking your pulse and counting how many times your heart beats in a minute.
You can check your heart rate by taking your pulse and counting how many times your heart beats in a minute.
Your heart rate varies depending on what you're doing – for example, it will be slower if you're sleeping and faster if you're exercising.
To get your resting heart rate, you need to have been resting for at least 5 minutes before checking your pulse.
You can find your pulse in your wrist or neck.
To find your pulse in your wrist:
To find your pulse in your neck:
When you find your pulse, either:
This gives you your heart rate – the number of times your heart beats per minute (bpm).
You can also check if your pulse is regular or irregular by feeling its rhythm for about 30 seconds. It's very common to have occasional irregular heartbeats, such as missed beats.
But if your pulse continues to be irregular, it can be a sign of
– an irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate. This is more likely if you're 65 or older.See a GP if you're worried about your pulse.
Most adults have a resting heart rate between 60 and 100bpm.
The fitter you are, the lower your resting heart rate is likely to be. For example, athletes may have a resting heart rate of 40 to 60bpm, or lower.
See a GP to get checked if you think your heart rate is continuously above 120bpm or below 40bpm, although it may simply be that this is normal for you.
If you check your pulse during or immediately after exercise, it may give an indication of your fitness level. A heart rate monitor is also useful for recording your heart rate when resting and during exercise.
Aerobic activities such as walking, running and swimming are good types of exercise because they increase your heart and breathing rates.
You can check a person's pulse by putting 2 fingers on the inside of their wrist or on their neck.
To measure the pulse in someone's wrist:
To measure the pulse in someone's neck:
A normal resting heart rate for an adult is 60 to 100 beats per minute. But this can vary, depending on things such as age, stress levels, fitness and any medication the person is taking.
Important: Our website provides useful information but is not a substitute for medical advice. You should always seek the advice of your doctor when making decisions about your health.