The heart is one of the most important organs in the body responsible for pumping blood around the body. The blood carries oxygen and nutrients to spread around the entire body to ensure that organs stayed properly energized. Due to this, it is important to have a strong heart. Therefore, a normal heart rate is something important to attain.
Typically, a normal heart rate for an average individual is 60-100 beats per minute (bpm). However, the stronger the heart is, the fewer the beats necessary. Therefore, an athlete might only have a heart rate that is between 40-60 bpm. The more out of shape an individual is, therefore, the higher the heart rate because the heart has to pump more blood around the body to get to more parts of the body.
To test for a heart rate, take two fingers and press it against the thumb side of your wrist. Hold your fingers here for fifteen seconds and count the number of beats. Then multiply that number by four. If it is difficult to find the pulse on the wrist, take the index finger and middle finger and press it to the left or right of the wind pipe. Count the beats for fifteen seconds and then multiply by four.
Influences on Heart Rate
There are numerous different influences on an individual’s heart rate. Each one can contribute to a faster heart rate or a slower heart rate. They are:
- Activity Level: Being more active means that the heart is pumping blood faster to get needed nutrients and oxygen around to the parts of the body that are working.
- Fitness Level: By never working out, the heart doesn’t get to develop into an even stronger muscle. This means that the heart rate will be higher when active.
- Air Temperature: If it is colder, the heart has to beat faster to get more blood around to keep the body warm.
- Position of body: Lying down has a slower heart rate than standing up.
- Emotions: If scared or anxious, the heart rate increases.
- Body Size: The bigger someone is, naturally, the stronger their heart rate is going to be. The heart has to pump more blood around the body.
- Medication Used: There are some medications that slow the heart down and there are some that speed it up.
Different Heart Rate Problems
There are three different heart rate problems that people might have. These are classified as either having too fast a heart rate, too slow or an awkward one.
- Tachycardia: This is when the resting heart rate of an individual is over 100 beats per minute. It’s understandable to go that high when exercising, but if an individual is resting, that is far too high.
- Bradycardia: This is defined as when someone has a heart rate slower than 60 beats per minute at rest; however, it doesn’t really become an issue until it is below 50 bpm. That doesn’t mean that a slower heart rate is impossible; it just depends on activity and fitness levels.
- Arrhythmia: This is defined as some sort of abnormality in the heart rate and the rhythm. Sometimes the heart will go too fast, sometimes the heart will go too slow. Also, it can also mean someone who is having heart palpitations.