You can check your heart rate by taking your pulse and counting how many times your heart beats in 1 minute (60 seconds).
Your heart rate varies depending on what you're doing – for example, it will be slower if you're sleeping and faster if you're exercising.
To get your resting heart rate, you need to have been sitting still before checking your pulse.
You can find your pulse in your wrist or neck.
To find your pulse in your wrist:
- hold out one of your hands, with your palm facing upwards
- press the first (index) finger and middle finger of your other hand on the inside of your wrist, at the base of your thumb – don't use your thumb as it has its own pulse
- press your skin lightly until you can feel your pulse – if you can't find it, try pressing a little harder or move your fingers around
To find your pulse in your neck:
- press your first finger and middle finger to the side of your neck, just under your jaw and beside your windpipe – don't use your thumb
- press your skin lightly to feel your pulse – if you can't find it, try pressing a bit harder or move your fingers around
When you find your pulse, either:
- count the number of beats you feel for 60 seconds
- count the number for 30 seconds and multiply by 2
This gives you your heart rate – the number of times your heart beats per minute (bpm).
You can also check if your pulse is regular or irregular by feeling its rhythm for about 30 seconds. It's very common to have occasional irregular heartbeats, such as missed beats.
But an irregular pulse can be a sign of a heart condition, like atrial fibrillation (AF), an irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate. This is more likely if you're 65 or older.
See a GP if you're worried about your pulse.
Most adults have a resting heart rate between 60 and 100bpm.
The fitter you are, the lower your resting heart rate is likely to be. For example, athletes may have a resting heart rate of 40 to 60bpm, or lower.
See a GP to get checked if you think your heart rate is continuously above 120bpm or below 60bpm, although it may simply be that this is normal for you.
Find out more about how to check your pulse on the British Heart Foundation (BHF) website.
If you check your pulse during or immediately after exercise, it may give an indication of your fitness level. A heart rate monitor is also useful for recording your heart rate when resting and during exercise.
Aerobic activities such as walking, running and swimming are good types of exercise because they increase your heart and breathing rates.
Read more from the British Heart Foundation on what your target heart rate should be when exercising.
If you haven't exercised before, or haven't for some time, see our Live Well section to read about the benefits of exercise and how much exercise you should be doing.