You can check your heart rate in under 30 seconds using just two fingers pressed against your wrist or neck. A normal resting heart rate for adults falls between 60 and 100 beats per minute, though athletes often sit in the 40s or 50s. Whether you’re tracking fitness, monitoring a health condition, or just curious, here’s how to get an accurate reading.
How to Take Your Pulse by Hand
The simplest method uses your radial artery, the one on the inside of your wrist. Turn one hand palm-up and place the tips of your index and middle fingers on the thumb side of that wrist, just below the base of your palm. You should feel a gentle thumping under the skin. Don’t use your thumb to check, since it has its own pulse and can throw off your count.
Once you feel the beat, count the number of pulses for 15 seconds while watching a clock. Multiply that number by four to get your beats per minute. If you want a more precise reading, count for a full 30 or 60 seconds instead.
Press lightly. Pushing too hard can actually block blood flow and make the pulse harder to find.
Using the Neck (Carotid Pulse)
If you can’t find a pulse at your wrist, your neck offers a stronger signal. Place your index and middle fingers in the soft groove next to your windpipe, on one side only. The beat is usually easy to feel here because the carotid artery is large and close to the surface.
Two important rules for the neck method: never press on both sides at the same time, because this can make you dizzy or cause you to faint. And don’t push too hard. Light pressure is all you need.
Getting an Accurate Resting Heart Rate
Your resting heart rate is the number that matters most for tracking your baseline health, but it’s easy to get a misleading reading if you check at the wrong moment. Harvard Health recommends avoiding measurement within one to two hours after exercise or a stressful event, since your heart rate stays elevated after strenuous activity. Caffeine can also spike your pulse, so wait at least an hour after your last cup of coffee or tea.
Sitting or standing for a long stretch before measuring can also skew results. The best time to check is first thing in the morning, before you get out of bed, when your body is closest to a true resting state. If that’s not practical, sit quietly for five minutes before taking your pulse. Try to measure at the same time of day each time so your readings are comparable.
Using a Smartwatch or Fitness Tracker
Most wearables use optical sensors that shine green light into your skin and detect changes in blood flow. These devices are convenient for continuous tracking, and their accuracy has improved substantially. A meta-analysis of nearly 4,000 participants found that smartphone and wearable apps detected irregular heart rhythms like atrial fibrillation with about 94% sensitivity and 96% specificity when compared to clinical-grade equipment. The Samsung Galaxy Watch Active 2, tested against a 28-day heart monitor, reached 97% specificity for detecting atrial fibrillation using its light-based sensor alone, and accuracy climbed further when combined with the watch’s on-demand ECG feature.
That said, several things can interfere with optical sensors. Cold hands, poor circulation, dark nail polish, thick skin, and movement during readings all reduce accuracy. For the best result, keep your hand warm and relaxed, hold it below heart level, and stay still until the number stabilizes. If you’re comparing your wearable to a manual pulse check and getting very different numbers, the manual count is generally more reliable in that moment.
Using a Pulse Oximeter
A pulse oximeter is the small clip-on device that fits over your fingertip. It’s primarily designed to measure blood oxygen levels, but it also displays your heart rate. The FDA recommends removing fingernail polish before using one, keeping your hand warm and relaxed, and holding it below heart level. Sit still and wait a few seconds until the display settles on a steady number rather than fluctuating. Factors like skin pigmentation, skin temperature, poor circulation, and tobacco use can all affect accuracy.
Normal Heart Rate by Age
Heart rate ranges vary significantly from birth through adulthood. Newborns have the fastest hearts, and the rate gradually slows as children grow. Here are the typical resting ranges from the Cleveland Clinic:
- Newborn (birth to 4 weeks): 100 to 205 bpm
- Infant (4 weeks to 1 year): 100 to 180 bpm
- Toddler (1 to 3 years): 98 to 140 bpm
- Preschool (3 to 5 years): 80 to 120 bpm
- School age (5 to 12 years): 75 to 118 bpm
- Adolescent (13 to 17 years): 60 to 100 bpm
- Adult (18+): 60 to 100 bpm
These ranges apply when you’re awake and at rest. Heart rate drops during sleep and rises during activity. A well-trained athlete can have a resting heart rate in the 40s or 50s, which is perfectly healthy and reflects a more efficient heart.
When Your Heart Rate Is Too High or Too Low
In clinical terms, a resting heart rate above 100 bpm in adults is called tachycardia, and a rate below 60 bpm is called bradycardia. Neither number is automatically a problem. A rate of 55 in someone who runs regularly is normal. A rate of 105 after climbing stairs or drinking coffee is expected.
What matters more is context. A consistently elevated resting heart rate, especially above 100 bpm when you’re calm and haven’t recently been active, can signal dehydration, stress, anemia, thyroid issues, or heart rhythm problems. A resting rate below 60 that comes with dizziness, fatigue, or fainting is worth investigating. If your pulse feels irregular (skipping beats, fluttering, or speeding up and slowing down unpredictably), that pattern is often more clinically meaningful than the rate itself.
Checking Heart Rate During Exercise
If you’re using heart rate to guide workouts, you’ll need to know your estimated maximum heart rate. The standard formula from the American Heart Association is simple: 220 minus your age. A 40-year-old, for example, has an estimated max of 180 bpm.
From there, two zones matter most. Moderate-intensity exercise (brisk walking, casual cycling) puts you at 50% to 70% of your max. Vigorous exercise (running, fast swimming, heavy interval training) targets 70% to 85%. For that same 40-year-old, moderate intensity means a heart rate between 90 and 126 bpm, while vigorous intensity means 126 to 153 bpm.
To check mid-workout, pause briefly and take a 10-second pulse count at your wrist or neck, then multiply by six. Alternatively, a chest strap heart rate monitor tends to be more accurate during movement than a wrist-based wearable, since sweat and arm motion can disrupt optical sensors.