How to Determine What Your Heart Rate Indicates About Your Health Status

Heart rate is a major health indicator recognized by virtually all physicians and health care workers. If you visit the doctor's office for a minor checkup or for a major health issue, checking heart rate is always part of the triage protocol. Heart rate can be an indicator of an underlying health problem, an immediate health concern or an indicator of general cardiovascular condition.



Basically, if your heart rate is significantly higher than average (70 to 80) beats per minute, it means that your heart is having to work harder than the average person's heart, in order to circulate blood effectively.

Instructions

How to Determine What Your Heart Rate Indicates About Your Health Status

• 1

  A strong heart is a healthy heart

  Put your hand on your chest and feel the beat of your heart. The heart is a muscle that is responsible for supplying oxygen and other nutrients to the working muscles and tissues in the body. Heart rate is the number of beats per minute that a heart beats. With each beat of the heart, blood is pumped through the veins throughout the body. If the heart is weak, the heart must pump harder to get the blood circulating. If the heart is strong, fewer beats are necessary to distribute blood.

• 2

  Checking heart rate is easy and can be done without medical equipment

  Check your heart rate. You can determine what your heart rate (pulse) is by checking your heart rate (while sitting quietly) at the radial artery, located on the inside of the wrist. Locate your pulse on your wrist with your index and middle finger or use a stethoscope. Watch a timepiece with a second hand or a digital display and count the number of beats that occur within 30 seconds. Write that information down and repeat this two more times. Double each recording and take an average of the three recordings. This should give you a general idea of your heart rate per minute.

• 3

  A lower heart rate indicates a stronger heart

  Compare your heart rate to the average person's heart rate. The average person's heart rate ranges from 70 to 80 beats per minute. If your heart rate is lower than that, it is an indication that your heart is strong enough to supply the working muscles with ample oxygen and other nutrients so that you can carry on daily life without undue strain on the heart muscle. A person with a healthy heart has attained a higher level of cardiovascular fitness. Cardiovascular fitness refers to the health of the heart (cardio) and vascular system (veins and arteries). Although there are other factors that can impact cardiovascular fitness, in general, having a strong heart (low heart rate) is an indication of cardiovascular fitness.

• 4

  Consult your physician

  Determine if your heart rate is high. If your heart rate is high, it is an indication that your heart is not strong and is having to pump more times to distribute the blood throughout the body. In other words, your heart is not pumping with sufficient force to adequately distribute blood. Therefore, it must pump more times per minute to get the job done. If your heart rate is greater than the average person's heart rate, you should consult a physician and request an exercise prescription that will increase your level of cardiovascular fitness. It is important to consult a physician first, as there may be other medical issues to consider before you begin an exercise program.