The heart has the function of pumping blood throughout the body so that it reaches all the organs. To accomplish your mission, you must do so with the right combination of blood pressure and heart rate. It is important to monitor both factors to make sure that they function within parameters considered normal. Heart rate is the number of times the heart beats in a minute, that is, it contracts, and it is very easy to measure. To calculate heart rate, we must be at rest and relaxed. You must identify the place where the pulse is best perceived when pressing with your fingers. The most common place is on the inside of the wrist or on the neck. Once the pulse is found, we must count the number of pulses for thirty seconds and then multiply that figure by two. To get the most accurate reading, place your index finger on your pulse and count the number of heartbeats in sixty seconds.
Not being within the number of heartbeats considered healthy warns us of possible heart problems and this alert implies the need to visit the doctor and, probably, undergo an electrocardiogram to better understand what is happening. The range of heartbeats considered normal is between sixty and one hundred beats per minute. Exceeding the figure of one hundred at rest can mean that you suffer from tachycardia and we must visit a specialist to determine if it is the product of heart disease or any other cause. It is considered normal to exceed one hundred beats per minute if you are doing physical exercise, as well as if you are taking medication because you have anemia or a thyroid disease. On the other hand, if we take beta blockers, we will notice a slowing of the pulse.
The heart rate varies depending on different factors. For example, age, playing sports intensively or taking medication are three elements to take into account when analyzing whether our heart beats adequately. It is normal that at different times of the day our heart rate is different and it can accelerate due to experiencing a stressful episode or being subjected to great emotion. Playing sports also involves increasing the heart rate while exercising, but if done frequently it is very beneficial to keep the heart rate controlled at rest. Typically, athletes have a low heart rate which is considered beneficial for the heart. Bradycardia, having a slow heart rate, is not usually a problem if it is caused by sports, but we should go to the doctor if the cause is something else.
The heart rate does not necessarily pose a danger even if it barely exceeds one hundred beats per minute, as long as the beat is not irregular and it is not an arrhythmia. If the number of beats per minute is low, there is no need to worry if it is the result of frequent sports practice, but if it occurs in a person with some cardiovascular pathology, you should go quickly to the doctor to evaluate the situation and determine if it is necessary. start treatment or even have to implant a pacemaker.
