When you know how to check your pulse, it can help you in different situations. Knowing how to check your pulse will also help you to find out if someone is alive and normal or not.

Pulse

It is a very common medical term that is used everywhere. Besides the doctors and nurses, general people also use this term. It's a measure of our heartbeat. When blood pressure goes through your arteries, expansion of the arteries happen. Since the walls of your arteries are elastic, when your heart beats, it pushes blood through them and through the elastic arteries you feel a pressure. It is possible to take the pulse at certain points of your body because in those places larger arteries of your body are placed very close to your skin.

How do you check your pulse?

How to find the pulse

We take pulse at the neck and the wrist. It's easier to find your pulse at those places. The following steps will help you to take a pulse at your wrist.

Step 1

Place your one of your hands over and keep the palm side up

Step 2

Now take your other hand and port to fingertips very gently on your forearms in the groove. Place them near the fold of the wrist. Keep them 1 inch below the base of your thumb.

Step 3

Once you place your fingers, you will feel your pulse.

Other methods of checking your pulse

You can find the radial pulse using pads of your third and index finger. This pulses present on the inside of your wrist. Put the pads below the wrist joint below your thumb. You will need to press slightly to find the pulse. You can move your fingers a little bit if you're not able to find the pulse.

To find the carotid pulse, you will need to use your index and third finger. You can feel this pulse on the side of your neck. Below your jawline, you will need to put the fingers in the hollow. This is the place between the large muscle present in your neck and the windpipe. When you press a little, you'll be able to feel the pulse.

Record the heart rate

Once you feel the pulse check your heart rate. Take a watch and count the number of throbs that you feel when you press your fingers a little either on the wrist or on the neck. When you count the throbs for one minute or 60 seconds, you will get your pulse. You can also count of beats for 15 seconds and then multiply it by four, which will give you your heart rate. Record the heart rate in a notebook.

Find out if it's normal

There are standard heart rates fixed by experts. The normal resting heart rate in case of adults is 50-70 beats per minute. The normal heart rate for children under 18 years of age is 70-100 beats per minute. Check your record at heart rate and find out if it's normal.

While taking your pulse, you'll be able to decide whether your pulse is week, faint, strong or bounding. You also need to check if your pulse is steady. If your heart skips a beat or two or you find any other odd things about it, then you may need to see your doctor. If the pulsations are fine and the pauses are same between them, then you have a steady heart.

If you're not able to find the pulse, you can change the location or change the pressure of your fingertips on your neck or wrist.