2 easy, accurate ways to measure your heart rate (2024)

FAQs

2 easy, accurate ways to measure your heart rate? ›

The pulse can be measured using the radial artery in the wrist or the carotid artery in the neck. Heart rates vary from person to person. Knowing your heart rate can help you gauge your heart health.

The pulse can be measured using the radial artery in the wrist or the carotid artery in the neck. Heart rates vary from person to person. Knowing your heart rate can help you gauge your heart health.

Take the pads/tips of your index (pointer) finger and middle finger. Press them gently against the side of your neck (just under your jawline). Or press on the inside of your wrist, below the base of your thumb. Count the number of beats you feel for 15 seconds.

You can find your pulse on your wrist, neck, elbow or even the top of your foot. The easiest place to check your pulse is your wrist or neck.

There are three ways to calculate a heart rate using an EKG. If the rhythm is regular, the small box method and big block method can be used. If the rhythm is irregular, the six second strip method can be used.

You can also use different types of heart rate monitors to check your heart rate. But be aware that most have not undergone independent testing for accuracy. One option is a digital fitness tracker. The most reliable ones use a wireless sensor on a strap that you wrap around your chest.

Best heart rate monitor overall: Polar H10

Rather than optical sensors (like those used on most smartwatches or fitness trackers), the chest strap uses an electrocardiogram (ECG) -- small electrodes that pick up electrical activity -- to measure your heart rate.

Your pulse and heart rate are two different ways to track your heart's activity. Your heart rate is how many times your heart beats per minute. Your pulse rate is how many times per minute your arteries expand because of your heart beating.

Polar's H9 Heart Rate Sensor is easy to use and has both Bluetooth and ANT+ connectivity, making it our top choice for cyclists who want to connect to a smartwatch, activity tracker, or exercise machine.

What is the most accurate site for pulse rate? ›

Your apical pulse is a pulse point on your chest that gives the most accurate reading of your heart rate. It's also called the point of maximal impulse (PMI) and the apex beat. Your other pulse points are located along your arteries.

In addition to being cheap and easy, chest straps are also the most accurate way to find out how fast your heart is beating during exercise. Wrist monitors sometimes get confused with fast motion, and some watches are more accurate than others. Chest straps are your best bet for accuracy.

Do your own field HR max test: If your doctor gives the okay, you can do a field workout that gets your heart up to maximum intensity. Short of a lab test, this is the best way to get a result that accurately reflects your personal factors and physiology.

Place your index and third fingers on your neck to the side of your windpipe. To check your pulse at your wrist, place two fingers between the bone and the tendon over your radial artery — which is located on the thumb side of your wrist. When you feel your pulse, count the number of beats in 15 seconds.

The second method uses small boxes. Count the number of small boxes for a typical R-R interval. Divide this number into 1500 to determine heart rate. In the second image, the number of small boxes for the R-R interval is 21.5.

The pulse rate can be measured manually or by “palpation” with the fingers at all points on the body where arteries run superficially. The best-known palpation site is in the area of the wrist (radial pulse). Electronic measurement of pulse rate takes place by means of electrocardiogram (ECG).

Tachycardia (tak-ih-KAHR-dee-uh) is a fast heartbeat. The heart rate is greater than 100 beats a minute. Bradycardia (brad-e-KAHR-dee-uh) is a slow heartbeat. The heart rate is less than 60 beats a minute.