The pulse can tell whether a person has any disease and help identify problems with the heart. Anyone can determine the frequency of beats. To do this, it is enough to have basic skills and basic knowledge of counting.
The heart rate in adults must be within certain limits (norms), deviation from which is grounds for visiting a doctor. You cannot diagnose yourself and self-medicate.
Today we will talk about the normal pulse rate in men and what a deviation from these norms indicates.
What should an adult man's pulse be?
Pulse is the number of rhythmic vibrations of the walls of the arteries and vessels of the body associated with the work of the heart muscle to circulate blood in the body over a given period of time. Simply put, this is the number of heart beats in one minute. Determining heart rate (HR) is necessary to monitor the activity of the heart and detect problems in its functioning.
In an adult man, the normal heart rate (HR) is 60-70 beats per minute. General indicators for humans allow a maximum rate of 80 blows.
Main factors influencing heart rate:
- gender of the person (pulse rates in women are higher than in men);
- age (in children the heart rate is higher than in adults);
- height (in a tall person, the heart beats less often);
- physical condition (an athlete’s resting heart rate is lower than that of an ordinary person);
- time of day (heart rate is reduced during night sleep, as well as for an hour before and after it).
Measuring the amount of vibration of arterial walls
In order to take measurements and find out the normal pulse
it is necessary to use the palpation method in the following places:
- Armpits.
- Elbow bend.
- Wrists.
- Inner thigh.
- Carotid artery.
- Viska.
Do not measure your heart rate immediately after eating or exercising.
In the morning, when the body is at rest, you need to apply two fingers (index and middle) to the neck, thigh and temple alternately. The beats are counted for 60 seconds. You can use a stopwatch or time yourself.
You can measure the oscillation frequency using a tonometer: this device is intended not only for measuring blood pressure.
how many beats per minute
Changing the number of strokes is possible in the following cases:
- Physical stress on the body.
- Stressful situation, excitement.
- Taking medications.
- Consumption of alcoholic beverages and tobacco products.
- Change in body temperature.
If the number of vibrations becomes less than 50 beats per minute, this indicates the presence of any pathologies. As a rule, a person experiences weakness and nausea. If the number of oscillations is reduced to 35 beats, the brain begins to experience oxygen starvation. Read here and find out why your blood pressure rises.
What does the heart rate show in men?
The number of heart beats per minute, as well as their rhythm, indicate the quality of the cardiovascular system in a man. Heart rate indicators and its features enable an experienced doctor to assess the degree of a person’s health, taking into account his age and gender.
The nature of the heart rhythm indicates possible diseases and differs as follows:
- tachycardia (rapid heartbeat - more than 90 beats/min.). This is a symptom of disorders of the ANS, endocrine system, hemodynamics or other forms of arrhythmia;
- bradycardia (slow heartbeat - less than 50 beats/min.). This is a symptom of changes in the myocardium, increased intracranial pressure, lead or nicotine poisoning, hypothyroidism, fasting, cold, or typhoid fever;
- arrhythmia is a violation of the rhythm and frequency of heart contractions. Indicates heart defects, myocarditis, complications after taking medications, abnormalities in electrolyte balance, poisoning. It is often a consequence of heart failure - a disorder of cardiac activity leading to insufficient blood supply to the organs and tissues of the body.
Pathological causes
The heart rate can vary in one direction or the other due to pathological changes in the body. We are talking about six main diseases.
- Algorithms for measuring respiratory rate, pulse and blood pressure in children
Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism is a deficiency of thyroid hormones and the reverse process is hyperthyroidism with an excess of substances in the bloodstream. Hemodynamic disturbances affect the third reflex zone of the heart.
In the first situation, tachycardia occurs, in the second - a decrease in heart rate per minute. Prolonged course of both conditions is associated with an increased risk of fatal or disabling complications.
Diabetes
Generally destroys organs and systems, right down to the visual analyzer. With endocrine pathology, the heart wears out faster; without proper treatment, natural death occurs 10-15 years ahead of schedule.
Diabetes of the first type is especially dangerous, since it is not treated, but only corrected with medication, and not always to a sufficient extent.
Hypercortisolism or Addison's disease (reverse phenomenon)
Impaired synthesis of cortisol and other corticosteroids (to a lesser extent). Maintenance hormonal therapy and surgery to eliminate the root cause are required (in the vast majority of cases, the main factor is a tumor in the adrenal glands or pituitary gland).
Congestive heart failure
Causes cardiac ischemia and accelerates the rhythm, sometimes to significant levels. The course without therapy entails a heart attack, sooner or later (usually within 3-5 years from the onset of the first symptoms, by which time the disease is far from at the initial stage of development).
The first signs of heart failure are described in this article.
- Why calculate your heart rate if you decide to play sports?
Acute myocardial ischemia
Leads to death in 35-50% of cases. An extensive type of heart attack is fatal in 95% of clinical situations. Arrhythmia is the hallmark of the process, along with accompanying manifestations.
Where is the best place to measure your pulse?
The most convenient place for measuring the pulse is the wrist, on which the radial artery is located. You need to place your index and middle finger on this artery. You cannot apply other fingers, because it is easy to confuse the pulsations of their vessels with contractions of the artery on the wrist.
There are some objective reasons for high heart rate in men, which can distort the correct indicators characteristic of a particular person. So, you cannot measure your pulse:
- for infectious diseases and high body temperature;
- after active sports and other physical activities;
- when taking medications;
- after bath procedures, visiting a sauna and a hot shower;
- during alcohol intoxication;
- after sexual intercourse;
- after prolonged exposure to high or low temperatures;
- on a full stomach.
Blood pressure norms for adults
According to WHO, normal human blood pressure ranges from 100/60 to 140/90 units, while the optimal values, regardless of age, are suggested to be between 110/70 and 130/80 mm. Hg Art.
In Russia, it is customary to correlate blood pressure figures with age, and optimal pressure is regarded as the norm only for young and healthy people. This is, in fact, correct, since from birth to old age changes in the wall of blood vessels are inevitable; in addition, somatic diseases occur, blood viscosity changes - all this affects the systolic and diastolic blood pressure, the level of which determines a person’s well-being.
Upper or systolic blood pressure (SBP) is a marker of heart function, lower or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) is a marker of blood vessels. Since the physiological characteristics of a person, his anatomical structure are unique, the pressure of each of us is individual. In youth, the potential abilities of self-regulation are preserved, which help to cope with overwork, overstrain, climate change, colds, maintaining blood pressure at a normal, comfortable level.
Rules for measuring blood pressure
To get a reliable picture of a person’s health, it is important to measure blood pressure correctly; it’s not difficult:
- for an hour (at least 40 minutes) do not smoke, do not eat anything spicy, fatty, salty, do not drink strong drinks, coffee, tea;
- do not engage in physical labor;
- the position for measurement should be comfortable, in a sitting position, the hand for tonometry should be on a hard surface;
- two measurements are carried out, with an interval of several minutes;
- the cuff is placed above the elbow to make it comfortable when using a stethoscope.
Slow and fast heartbeat
The heart muscle can contract at an increased (tachycardia) or decreased (bradycardia) rhythm. If the pulse does not correspond to the norm, there is no need to immediately sound the alarm: the reason may be not only in pathology, but also in the physiology of the female or male body. Thus, some increase in heart rate is observed when women reach menopause, or when estrogen levels decrease; slowing of the pulse - when taking certain medications.
Various physical and mental stress affect the heart rate, even the difficult digestion process after a heavy holiday dinner and the use of energy drinks. Typically, physiological causes of abnormal heart rate are temporary. After 45 minutes, the pulse readings can return to normal.
Record your heart rate readings on both hands - this will allow you to get more accurate data when measuring this indicator manually.
Clinical practice shows that the pulse often increases when the nervous system is damaged, cardiac pathology, or hormonal system disorders. It is possible that with high readings a tumor or some kind of infection develops in the body.
The pulse slows down if the body experiences intoxication, peptic ulcer disease, or increased intracranial pressure, myocardial infarction develops. Perhaps this signals a lack of thyroid hormones, organic damage to the heart, or poor oxygen supply to tissues.
Only a specialist can answer the question why your pulse is too fast or too rare. In any case, consult a doctor immediately if your pulse is abnormal:
- dyspnea
- my head is spinning
- fainting or presyncope
- heart pain
- vision problems
When playing sports, it is important to regularly measure your pulse.
What is called pulse
When the heart muscles contract, the walls of the blood vessels vibrate in a certain rhythm and with a certain force.
These fluctuations are called the pulse, an indicator of the work of the heart and the condition of the blood vessels. Normally, there should be equal intervals between pulsations. Among the causes of disturbances in the rhythm of oscillations of the vascular walls:
- heart pathology
- problems with blood vessels
- endocrine system diseases
- intoxication
- tachycardia of a heavy smoker
- heavy physical activity
- trauma with blood loss
- acute cold
- severe stress, etc.
Any disturbance in heart contractions signals that something is wrong in the body. You should definitely consult a doctor. But first of all, learn how to measure your pulse correctly.
Pulse is an indicator of the work of the heart and blood vessels.
