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Heart Rate and Pulse Rate Difference and Its Implications on Your Health

Heart Rate and Pulse Rate Difference
Medically reviewed by Dr Dhaval Prajapati, MD,IDCCM, EDIC, FIECMO, FCCS

Measuring vital parameters such as heart rate and pulse rate is crucial in monitoring your overall health and well-being. Although these terms are often used interchangeably, they actually measure different physiological processes. Heart rate is the number of times your heart beats per minute, while pulse rate measures the number of times your arteries expand and contract with each heartbeat. In this blog, we’ll discuss the difference between these two parameters and their implications on your health. 

Heart Rate

What is Heart Rate?

Heart rate refers to the number of times your heart beats per minute. It is a measure of how efficiently your heart is pumping blood throughout your body. A normal resting heart rate for adults typically ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute, although this can vary depending on age, fitness level, and other factors. Monitoring your heart rate is important in maintaining good cardiovascular health, as irregularities or abnormalities in heart rate can indicate underlying health issues. It’s important to keep track of your heart rate regularly, especially during exercise or other physical activities, to ensure that your heart is functioning optimally.

What is the Normal Range of Heart Rate?

Heart rate is an important vital parameter that varies depending on age. Newborns (1-30 days old) typically have a heart rate range of 100-205 bpm, while infants (1-11 months old) have a range of 100-180 bpm. Toddlers (1-2 years old) have a range of 98-140 bpm, and preschoolers (3-4 years old) have a range of 80-120 bpm. School-age children (5 to 12 years) have a range of 75-118 bpm, while adolescents(13 to 18 years) have a range of 60-100 bpm. 

For adults aged 18 and above, the expected resting heart rate range is 60-100 bpm. It’s important to note that these rates are typically measured while children are awake and may be lower when they are asleep. Keeping track of your heart rate within these ranges can help you monitor your cardiovascular health and take the necessary steps to maintain a healthy heart.

What are the Methods of Measuring Heart Rate?

Heart rate can be measured using various methods. Auscultation is a common method where a healthcare provider listens to the heart sounds using a stethoscope and counts the beats per minute. Another non-invasive method is Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG), which records the electrical activity of the heart using electrodes attached to the skin. This test provides a detailed analysis of the heart’s rhythm and rate. Both of these methods are safe, accurate, and commonly used in clinical settings to monitor cardiovascular health.

Pulse Rate

What is Pulse Rate?

Pulse rate is the number of times a person’s artery expands and contracts per minute in response to the heart pumping blood. It is a vital parameter that indicates the strength and efficiency of the heart’s contractions and the overall health of the cardiovascular system. Pulse rate is usually measured at the wrist, neck, or groin, where the artery is close to the skin’s surface. 

What is the Normal Range of Pulse Rate?

Age Average Pulse Rate
18-20 81
21-30 80
31-40 78
41-50 75
51-60 73
61-70 73
71-80 74
Above 80 78

What are the Methods of Measuring Pulse Rate?

Measuring pulse rate can be done using different methods, such as manual palpation, pulse oximeter, and mobile apps and wearable devices. The manual palpation method involves feeling for a pulse at specific points in the body and counting the number of pulses felt within a certain time period.

Pulse oximeters are small devices that use light to detect blood oxygen levels, which can then be used to calculate pulse rate. On the other hand, mobile apps and wearable devices use optical sensors to detect changes in blood flow and calculate pulse rate. These methods offer convenience and accuracy in measuring vital parameters.

Heart Rate and Pulse Rate Difference

The Heart Rate and Pulse Rate Difference is Heart rate refers to the number of times the heart beats per minute, while pulse rate refers to the rate at which blood pulses through the arteries. While both are related to the heart’s activity, the pulse rate is usually slightly higher than the heart rate due to the delay between the heart’s contraction and the pulse of blood in the arteries. Both are measured in beats per minute, with a normal resting range for adults being between 60-100 beats per minute.

Heart Rate Pulse Rate
The Heart Rate is the number of times the heart contracts in one minute. The Pulse Rate is the number of times the blood vessels expand and contract in one minute.
It's measured by an electrocardiogram (ECG) or heart rate monitor. It's measured by taking the pulse at the wrist, neck, or temple.
It provides information about the health of the heart. It provides information about the health of the cardiovascular system.
It's typically measured at rest, during exercise, or during medical procedures. It can be measured anytime, including during physical activity or stress.
A normal resting Heart Rate ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute. A normal resting Pulse Rate ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute.
The factors that affect Heart Rate include age, sex, fitness level, and medication. The factors that affect Pulse Rate include age, sex, fitness level, medication, and stress.
Abnormal Heart Rates can indicate underlying heart conditions such as arrhythmia or tachycardia. Abnormal Pulse Rates can indicate underlying conditions such as dehydration or shock.
It can be used to track changes in heart health over time. It can be used to monitor changes in cardiovascular health over time.

Keeping track of your health information is crucial for managing your well-being effectively. With the increasing digitization of healthcare, using a digital health locker has become an excellent way to store your health-related data securely. Health-e’s Personal Health Record app, makes it easy to store all your information digitally, so you can access it anytime, anywhere without any hassle.

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Jigar Patel is the Founder of Health-e, a HealthTech app that simplifies health records management along with providing personalized and preventative healthcare solutions. Although he has 20+ years of operations and management experience in the EPC domain, Jigar’s true passion lies in making healthcare simpler, faster and more accessible for doctors and patients alike. He strongly believes that people need to be empowered to participate in their own healthcare and is constantly thinking of ways to build this into his app. He loves to keep things simple be it in life, product design, his work or the content he develops. Being married for 10 years and having 2 kids have taught him that perspective matters, so you can always count on him to share new perspectives on various topics.