Measure Pulse

Keeping an eye on your pulse. Increased pulse means increased risk. In medicine, the pulse describes the, primarily qualitative, effects of cardiac actions on the immediate environment and more distant regions from the body, which in turn are reached by the vascular system. Thus, among other things, conclusions can be drawn about the effectiveness of the heart‘s actions and their regularity, but also about the filling volume of the vessels and the absolute pressure in them. Not only is the pulse thereby differentiated into a total of three variations, but physicians also differentiate between the quality and quantity of the pulse.

The types and variations of pulse

The pulse can be measured in different ways and with different devices. The traditional measurement takes place on the wrist thumb side or on the carotid artery. In order to distinguish variations and types of pulse, one must understand that it always describes a conduction of heart actions through vessels – also known to non-medical people by thumping and knocking sounds. If the cardiac actions are transmitted backwards or against the blood flow, this is called a retrograde pulse, while forward movement with the blood flow is called an anterograde pulse. Retrograde conduction directly affects the venous pulse, while the arterial pulse is determined by anterograde conduction. In medicine, the pulse is divided into three official variations. The venous pulse is inherently weaker and is determined by several factors, such as body position, respiration, and workload. The Paradoxical Pulse is less common and occurs only when an irregular drop in blood pressure amplitude can be detected. The can be a sign of a life-threatening condition. The resting pulse is the most “decreased” variant of the pulse. Its frequency varies depending on age, medical condition and workload. A healthy adult person has an average resting pulse of about 60 to 80 beats per minute. In trained athletes, this is about 40 beats per minute because lung volume is greatly increased due to regular exercise.

Taking your pulse – and why it’s worth it

The pulse can be measured in different ways and with different devices. The traditional measurement takes place at the wrist thumb side or at the carotid artery. Less common are measurements at the back of the knee, groin or abdominal aorta. By using pulse watches, both permanent and punctual measurements can be performed. The great advantage of the practical watches, which visually hardly differ from a classic wristwatch, is their handiness and light weight. This is why pulse watches from Beurer, for example, are particularly popular with athletes during training to measure both their average and maximum heart rate. Among other things, the results provide an overview of the degree of physical exertion and fat burning. Pulse watches are also recommended for people with known heart problems in order to notice extreme changes in heart rate at an early stage. High-quality watches provide ECG-accurate heart rate measurement and are considered to be extremely reliable. If an excessively high heart rate is noticed, which is not caused by physical exertion, it must be counteracted with some effective methods. For this purpose, for example, the following means are suitable:

  • Lie down, reduce physical workload to a minimum and relax.
  • Calm the mind through pleasant imaginings
  • Slow down breathing purposefully

If the pulse still remains at a drastic level, a medical professional should be consulted. In patients with heart problems (or such problems in the family line), special care should be taken. Pulse watches can then be used as a preventive element and as another tool for monitoring. Although they are not a substitute for medical monitoring, they offer further reassurance to their wearers and can provide early signs when heart problems may become acute. If there is no known heart problem and it cannot be diagnosed, further examinations by a medical professional are recommended. Stress or psychosomatic problems can also result in an elevated pulse.While heart rate monitors are known to the general public primarily as a supplementary tool for athletes, especially runners and extreme athletes, these useful wrist monitors also offer numerous other advantages. The medically almost exact measurement of the watches contributes significantly to this.