To check your pulse manually, place the tips of your index and middle fingers on the inside of your wrist, just below the base of your thumb, and press lightly until you feel a rhythmic beat. Count the beats for 30 seconds, then multiply by two to get your heart rate in beats per minute. A normal resting heart rate for adults falls between 60 and 100 beats per minute.
The Wrist: Your Best Starting Point
The radial artery runs along the thumb side of your inner wrist, making it the easiest and most reliable spot to check your own pulse. To find it, turn one hand palm-up and place the pads of your index and middle fingers on the wrist, roughly half an inch below where the wrist creases at the base of your thumb. You’re feeling for the shallow groove between the bone on the outer edge of your wrist and the tendon that runs up the center.
Press gently. You only need enough pressure to feel each beat. Pushing too hard actually compresses the artery and blocks blood flow, which makes the pulse harder to detect or causes it to disappear entirely. If you can’t feel anything, try shifting your fingers slightly toward the thumb side or adjusting your pressure until the beats become clear.
Why You Should Never Use Your Thumb
Your thumb has its own pulse. A small artery called the princeps pollicis runs through it, and its beat is strong enough to confuse what you’re feeling. If you press your thumb against your wrist, you may end up counting your thumb’s pulse instead of (or mixed in with) the pulse at your wrist. Stick with your index and middle fingers every time, regardless of which site you’re checking.
Checking Your Pulse at the Neck
The carotid artery in your neck carries a large volume of blood to the brain, so its pulse is strong and easy to find. This makes it a good backup when you’re having trouble feeling the wrist pulse, especially during exercise or in cold conditions when blood flow to the hands decreases.
To find it, place your index and middle fingers in the soft groove next to your windpipe, just below the angle of your jaw. You can check either side of the neck, but never press on both sides at the same time. Compressing both carotid arteries simultaneously can reduce blood flow to the brain, causing dizziness, lightheadedness, or fainting. As with the wrist, use light pressure only. If you’ve been told you have plaque buildup in your neck arteries, skip this site entirely and use the wrist instead.
How Long to Count
You have three options: count for 15 seconds and multiply by four, count for 30 seconds and multiply by two, or count for a full 60 seconds. Research published in Heart & Lung compared these intervals and found that a 30-second count offers the best balance of accuracy and efficiency. The 15-second method introduces more rounding error because each missed or extra beat gets multiplied by four, and it becomes especially unreliable at heart rates above 100 beats per minute. If you want the most precise reading and don’t mind the extra time, counting for a full 60 seconds eliminates the need for any multiplication at all.
Use a clock with a second hand or the stopwatch on your phone. Start counting with “zero” on the first beat you feel, then “one” on the next beat, and continue until your time is up.
Getting an Accurate Reading
Your heart rate changes constantly based on activity, stress, caffeine, temperature, and body position. For a true resting heart rate, sit quietly for at least five minutes before checking. Avoid measuring right after exercise, a cup of coffee, or a stressful event unless you’re specifically trying to capture your heart rate during those moments.
Beyond counting the number of beats, pay attention to the rhythm. A healthy pulse feels steady and even, like a metronome. If you notice the beats are irregular, with skipped beats, extra beats, or a pattern that feels chaotic, that’s worth noting. Occasional skipped beats are common and usually harmless, but a consistently irregular rhythm is something to bring up with a doctor.
Checking a Child’s Pulse
For infants, the wrist and neck are difficult spots to find a pulse on. The best location is the upper arm, called the brachial pulse. Lay the baby on their back with one arm bent so the hand is near the ear. Place two fingers on the inner arm, between the shoulder and the elbow, and press gently until you feel the beat. Count for 15 seconds and multiply by four.
Children have faster heart rates than adults, and the younger the child, the faster the rate. Normal ranges while awake:
- Newborn to 3 months: 85 to 205 beats per minute
- 3 months to 2 years: 100 to 190 beats per minute
- 2 to 10 years: 60 to 140 beats per minute
- Over 10 years: 60 to 100 beats per minute (same as adults)
During sleep, children’s heart rates drop significantly. A sleeping toddler with a rate of 80 beats per minute is perfectly normal, even though that same rate while awake and active might seem low for their age.
What Your Numbers Mean
For adults, a resting heart rate between 60 and 100 beats per minute is considered normal. People who exercise regularly often have resting rates in the 50s or even 40s because their hearts pump more blood per beat and don’t need to beat as often. That’s a sign of cardiovascular fitness, not a problem.
A resting rate consistently above 100 beats per minute in an otherwise calm state is called tachycardia. It can be caused by dehydration, anxiety, fever, anemia, thyroid issues, or excess caffeine. A resting rate below 60 in someone who isn’t physically active or trained may signal bradycardia, which can cause fatigue, dizziness, or shortness of breath if the heart isn’t pumping enough blood to meet the body’s needs.
Tracking your pulse over time gives you a personal baseline. A gradual decrease in resting heart rate often reflects improving fitness. A sudden or unexplained increase, especially paired with symptoms like chest discomfort, dizziness, or unusual fatigue, is more meaningful than any single reading on its own.