To check for a pulse, place the tips of your index and middle fingers on the inside of your wrist, just below the base of your thumb. Press lightly until you feel a rhythmic beat, then count the beats for 15 seconds and multiply by four. That number is your heart rate in beats per minute. A normal resting heart rate for adults falls between 60 and 100 beats per minute.
That’s the short version. Below is a fuller guide covering the best pulse points on the body, how to count accurately, what the numbers mean, and how to check a pulse on someone else in an emergency.
Checking a Pulse at the Wrist
The wrist (radial artery) is the easiest and most common place to check your own pulse. Turn your hand so your palm faces up. Find the groove between the wrist bone and the tendon on the thumb side of your wrist. Place the tips of your index and middle fingers in that groove and press gently until you feel each beat. You want light pressure. Pressing too hard can actually block blood flow and make the pulse disappear.
A common mistake is placing your fingers on the wrong side of the wrist, closer to the pinky. The artery runs along the thumb side, so always orient your fingers there. Another frequent error is using your thumb to feel for a pulse. Your thumb has its own pulse, which can confuse you into counting your own heartbeat instead of the person you’re checking.
Checking a Pulse at the Neck
The carotid artery in your neck carries a strong, easy-to-find pulse. Place your index and middle fingers on the side of your windpipe, in the soft groove between the windpipe and the large muscle running down your neck. You should feel a firm, rhythmic beat almost immediately.
The neck pulse is especially useful during exercise, when your wrist pulse can be harder to find because your hands are moving. It’s also the go-to location during emergencies because the carotid artery is large and keeps a detectable pulse even when blood pressure drops. One important rule: never press on both sides of the neck at the same time. Compressing both carotid arteries simultaneously can restrict blood flow to the brain.
Checking a Pulse on an Infant
The wrist and neck are unreliable spots on babies. Too much soft tissue and a small neck make those pulses difficult to find. Instead, use the brachial artery on the inside of the upper arm.
Lay the baby on their back with one arm bent so the hand is near the ear. Place two fingers (not your thumb) on the inner arm, between the shoulder and the elbow. Press gently until you feel a beat. Count for 15 seconds and multiply by four, just like with an adult. Keep in mind that infant heart rates are much faster than adult rates. A newborn’s resting heart rate can range from 100 to 205 beats per minute, and infants up to one year old typically run between 100 and 180 bpm.
How to Count Accurately
Once you find a pulse, look at a clock or watch with a second hand. Count the number of beats you feel in 15 seconds, then multiply by four. If you count 18 beats in 15 seconds, your heart rate is 72 bpm. For a slightly more accurate reading, count for 30 seconds and multiply by two. Counting for a full 60 seconds gives you the most precise number. This longer count is worth the extra time if the rhythm feels uneven or you’re tracking subtle changes over weeks.
If you’re checking someone’s pulse during a potential cardiac emergency, the American Heart Association recommends spending no more than 10 seconds trying to find a pulse. If you can’t feel one definitively in that window, begin CPR.
What Your Pulse Should Feel Like
A healthy pulse feels steady and evenly spaced, with enough strength that you can detect it easily under light finger pressure but it’s not pounding against your fingertips. Doctors describe this as a “normal” or “strong” pulse.
A bounding pulse feels unusually forceful, like it’s pushing hard against your fingers even when you press down firmly. This can happen after intense exercise, with fever, or with certain heart conditions. A weak or “thready” pulse is the opposite: faint, hard to find, and easy to lose when you press even lightly. A weak pulse can signal low blood pressure or reduced blood flow. An irregular pulse, where the gaps between beats are uneven, may indicate an arrhythmia. Occasional skipped beats are common and often harmless, but a consistently irregular rhythm is worth mentioning to a doctor.
Normal Heart Rate by Age
Resting heart rate varies significantly across the lifespan. These are typical ranges while awake and sitting or lying still:
- Newborns (birth to 4 weeks): 100 to 205 bpm
- Infants (4 weeks to 1 year): 100 to 180 bpm
- Toddlers (1 to 3 years): 98 to 140 bpm
- Preschoolers (3 to 5 years): 80 to 120 bpm
- School-age children (5 to 12 years): 75 to 118 bpm
- Adolescents (13 to 17 years): 60 to 100 bpm
- Adults (18 and older): 60 to 100 bpm
Well-trained athletes often have resting rates in the 40s or 50s because their hearts pump more blood per beat and don’t need to beat as often. A resting rate below 60 bpm in a non-athlete is considered bradycardia, while a rate above 100 bpm at rest is called tachycardia. Neither is automatically dangerous, but both deserve attention if they come with symptoms like dizziness, fatigue, or shortness of breath.
Heart rate also shifts with sleep (typically slower) and physical activity (faster), so always measure your resting pulse after sitting quietly for at least five minutes.
Other Pulse Points on the Body
The wrist and neck are the most practical spots, but pulses can be felt at several other locations. These come up most often in medical settings or when checking circulation in the legs and feet:
- Top of the foot (dorsalis pedis): On the top surface of the foot, just to the outside of the tendon that runs to your big toe. Useful for checking blood flow to the feet, particularly in people with diabetes or peripheral artery disease.
- Behind the ankle (posterior tibial): Just behind and below the bony bump on the inside of your ankle. Another indicator of leg and foot circulation.
- Groin (femoral): In the crease of the groin, roughly midway between the hip bone and the pubic bone. This pulse is deep and typically checked by medical professionals rather than at home.
If you can easily feel pulses in your feet, that’s generally a good sign that blood is flowing well to your lower extremities. If you can’t find a foot pulse despite correct finger placement, it may reflect reduced circulation rather than poor technique.