Pulse Chart by Age: Your heart pumps blood throughout your body each time it beats. Your “pulse” or heartbeat can be felt on your neck or wrist.
The number of times your heart beats in a minute is used to calculate your pulse. Your pulse would be 72 beats per minute, for instance, if your heart beats 72 times in a minute (BPM). The heart rate is another name for this.
A typical pulse has a steady, predictable rhythm. This rhythm, however, “jumps about” or is uneven in certain persons. A pulse that is erratic looks like this.
How To Check Your Pulse ?
Smartwatches and other fitness monitoring gadgets make it simple to check your heart rate, but you can also do it manually.
Your index and middle fingers should be lightly pressed on the inside of your wrist, on the side just below the base of your thumb, to detect your heartbeat. Two fingers can be placed on the carotid arteries on either side of your neck to gauge heart rate.
Count the number of beats you feel for 15 seconds after finding your pulse, then multiply that number by four. Alternately, add two and then 30 seconds of beat counting. If you want to determine your resting heart rate, count your beats after being physically inactive for at least 10 minutes.
Resting Heart Rate
When you are not exercising, your body requires the least quantity of blood, and this is referred to as your resting heart rate. When you’re not ill, calm, and lying down or sitting down, you can test your resting heart rate by feeling your pulse.
A heart rate that is abnormally high or low, particularly if it differs from your typical resting heart rate, may indicate a medical problem or other health condition.
According to Hailu Tilahun, M.D., a cardiologist at Virginia Mason Franciscan Health in Seattle, Washington, a high resting heart rate could indicate an aberrant hormone level, an overactive thyroid, anaemia, or another serious health problem, such as a cardiac rhythm irregularity. In the meantime, a resting heart rate that is too low can lead to fainting, weariness, lightheadedness, and other serious symptoms.
There are many factors which affect the resting heart rate. These include:
- Temperature. Being in a heated environment may cause a modest rise in heart rate.
- Adverse Effects Of Medication. Your heart rate can be lowered by drugs like beta-blockers when you are at rest.
- Emotions. Your heart rate may accelerate if you’re feeling anxious or excited.
- Weight. The resting heart rate may be higher in obese people. This is because pumping blood through the body requires more effort from the heart.
- Anaemia. Low amounts of red blood cells in anaemia might make the heart beat more quickly in order to deliver oxygen-rich blood to the body.
- Postural Tachycardia Syndrome (POTS). After standing or sitting up, this syndrome causes an unnatural increase in heart rate. Dizziness and fainting are other classic PoTS symptoms in addition to heart palpitations.
- Body Placement When you transition from a seated to a standing position, your heart rate may momentarily rise.
- Smoking. The resting heart rate is frequently higher in smokers. It can be reduced by giving up smoking. Although this is frequently challenging, a doctor can assist you in creating a strategy that is effective for you.

Normal Pulse Rate by Age Chart
As you get older, your normal heart rate changes. The National Institutes of Health’s recommended heart rates are shown below by age.
Age | Normal heart rate in bpm ( beats per minute) |
0-1 month | 70-190 |
1- 11 months | 80-160 |
1-2 years | 80-130 |
3-4 years | 80- 120 |
5-6 years | 75- 115 |
7-9 years | 70-110 |
10 years and older and adults | 60-100 |
Athletes in top condition | 40-60 |
It’s crucial to understand your “target” heart rate for your age as well as your “normal maximum” heart rate during strenuous activity.
By deducting your age from 220, you may determine your usual maximum heart rate.
While engaging in moderate-intensity activity, such as walking, your target heart rate should be between 50% and 70% of your maximal heart rate. Your target heart rate should be between 70% and 85% of your maximal heart rate when engaging in more strenuous activities, such as working out, running, or lifting weights.
The American Heart Association provides the average maximum heart rates and target heart rate zones for adults by age in the table below as a general reference.
Age (in years) | Target heart rate range (in bpm) | Average max heart rate ( in bpm) |
20 | 100-170 | 200 |
30 | 95-162 | 190 |
35 | 93-157 | 185 |
40 | 90-153 | 180 |
45 | 88-149 | 175 |
50 | 85-145 | 170 |
55 | 83-140 | 165 |
60 | 80-136 | 160 |
65 | 78-132 | 155 |
70 | 75-128 | 150 |
High Heart Rate
Tachycardia is the medical term for an abnormally high heart rate. A rapid heartbeat in adults is one that is greater than 100 beats per minute. dependable source
However, your age and general health may also affect how quickly you move.
Higher heart rate can occur due to a number of reasons. Some of them are listed below:
- A response to particular drugs
- Taking cocaine or other illegal drugs
- Congenital heart abnormalities
- Excessive alcohol or caffeine use
- Damage to heart tissues brought on by an electrolyte imbalance, vitamin B1 deficiency
- Inadequate blood flow, and heart disease, coronary artery disease, heart valve disease, heart failure, heart muscle disease, tumours, or infections
- Smoking
- Certain lung disorders, thyroid issues, anaemia, and other health issues which can cause hypertension, or high blood pressure.
- Extreme exhaustion bleeding
- Stress on the body and mind, including illness and worry before heart surgery
Some symptoms of high heart rate can be:
- A fast pulse
- Chest pain
- Confusion
- Dizziness
- Low blood pressure
- Lightheadedness
- Heart palpitations
- Shortness of breath
- Sudden weakness
- Fainting or a loss of consciousness
- Cardiac arrest, in some cases
Low Heart Rate
Bradycardia is a term used to describe a sluggish heartbeat. A heartbeat less than 60 beats per minute is commonly referred to as bradycardia. dependable source
A heart rate under 60 beats per minute is typical and even good for athletes and others who exercise frequently.
The likelihood of developing bradycardia rises with age, as it does with the majority of heart disorders. From one person to the next, bradycardia might have a variety of different causes.
After a cardiac attack or as a side effect of heart surgery, the irregular rhythm may manifest. Other factors that may cause it include:
- Several drugs, including those used to treat high blood pressure and various arrhythmias, or irregular heartbeats.
- Thyroid disease, which is a result of an imbalance in the body’s hormones
- When your breathing pauses repeatedly throughout the night, you have obstructive sleep apnea.
Symptoms for low heart rate are:
- Lightheadedness or dizziness
- Confusion or a hard time concentrating
- Fainting
- Shortness of breath (with or without chest pain)
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