How to take your pulse

How to take your pulse:

Place the tips of your index and middle finger on the inside of your wrist below the base of your thumb.
Press lightly. You will feel the blood pulsing beneath your fingers.
Use a watch or clock with a second hand. Count the beats you feel for 10 seconds.
Multiply this number by 6 to get the amount of times your heart is beating in 1 minute. This is also called your pulse rate.

Reviewed last on: 3/21/2009
David C. Dugdale, III, MD, Professor of Medicine, Division of General Medicine, Department of Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine. Also reviewed by David Zieve, MD, MHA, Medical Director, A.D.A.M., Inc.

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