How to Measure Your Heart Rate
Measure it automatically with the PulseLoop app, or check your pulse by hand in about a minute using the steps below.
Measure it with your phone
The PulseLoop Health app reads your heart rate through your phone's camera and flash, detecting the small colour changes in your fingertip as blood moves through it — the same principle as a pulse oximeter. It takes under a minute, and every reading is kept in a history chart so you see the trend, not just one number.
Measuring needs camera and flash control that browsers do not reliably expose, so it runs only in the mobile app. To check your pulse right now without installing anything, use the manual method below.
Check your pulse by hand
- 1
Sit still for five minutes first.
A resting heart rate only means something if you are actually at rest. Do not measure straight after climbing stairs, coffee, or a stressful phone call.
- 2
Find the pulse at your wrist.
Place your index and middle fingers on the inside of the opposite wrist, just below the base of the thumb, and press gently until you feel a beat. That is the radial artery. The side of the neck, beside the windpipe, works too — press lightly there.
- 3
Use your fingers, not your thumb.
Your thumb has a pulse of its own, which is easy to mistake for the one you are trying to count.
- 4
Count the beats for a full 60 seconds.
That number is your heart rate in beats per minute. Counting 15 seconds and multiplying by four is faster, but a full minute is more accurate — and it is the only way to notice an irregular rhythm.
- 5
Take it a few times.
One reading is a snapshot. Measuring at the same time on several days tells you far more than a single number.
Normal resting heart rate by age
A resting heart rate is measured while awake, sitting or lying still, and calm. Children run considerably faster than adults, which is normal.
| Age group | Resting heart rate |
|---|---|
| Newborn (birth to 4 weeks) | 100–205 bpm |
| Infant (4 weeks to 1 year) | 100–180 bpm |
| Toddler (1 to 3 years) | 98–140 bpm |
| Preschool (3 to 5 years) | 80–120 bpm |
| School age (5 to 12 years) | 75–118 bpm |
| Adolescent (13 to 17 years) | 60–100 bpm |
| Adult (18 and over) | 60–100 bpm |
Below 60 bpm — bradycardia
Not automatically a problem. A resting rate in the 40s or 50s is common in trained athletes and during sleep. It matters when it comes with symptoms.
Above 100 bpm — tachycardia
Expected during exercise, stress, fever or illness. A resting rate that stays above 100 without an obvious cause is worth investigating.
Heart rate during exercise
Your estimated maximum heart rate is roughly 220 minus your age. The American Heart Association puts the target zone for exercise at 50–85% of that maximum: about 50–70% for moderate activity, and 70–85% for vigorous activity.
For a 30-year-old, that is an estimated maximum near 190 bpm and a target zone of roughly 95–162 bpm. Treat it as a guide, not a rule — the formula is an average across a population, and individual maximums vary widely.
What raises and lowers your heart rate
- Activity and fitness
- A fitter heart pumps more blood per beat, so it beats less often at rest. Resting rates in the 40s or 50s are common in athletes.
- Stress and emotion
- Anxiety, excitement and pain all push the rate up, sometimes well before you notice the feeling itself.
- Caffeine, alcohol and nicotine
- All three raise resting heart rate, and the effect can outlast the drink or cigarette by hours.
- Medication
- Beta blockers slow the heart; decongestants, thyroid medication and some inhalers speed it up.
- Illness and fever
- Infection, dehydration and fever all raise the rate — often the first sign something is wrong.
- Sleep and body weight
- Poor sleep and a higher body weight are both associated with a higher resting heart rate.
- Pregnancy
- Resting heart rate rises through pregnancy as blood volume increases.
When to speak to a doctor
Contact a doctor promptly if your heart rate is very slow or very fast — below roughly 35–40 bpm, or above 100 bpm at rest — and you also have any of:
- Chest pain or pressure
- Shortness of breath
- Dizziness, light-headedness or fainting
- Palpitations, or a pulse that feels irregular
It is also worth raising a resting rate that is consistently outside the normal range, even without symptoms. Chest pain, severe breathlessness or fainting are emergencies — call your local emergency number rather than waiting for an appointment.
Sources
- Cleveland Clinic — Heart Rate — resting ranges by age, bradycardia and tachycardia thresholds, when to seek care.
- American Heart Association — All About Heart Rate (Pulse) — normal adult range and how to take your pulse.
- American Heart Association — Target Heart Rates — maximum heart rate estimate and the 50–85% target zone.