WHAT’S THE DIFFERENCE?

BETWEEN HEART RATE AND PULSE? Heart rate is the number of times the heart – the organ which pumps blood around the body – beats in the space of a minute. For most adults, a normal resting heart rate should be between 60 and 100 beats per minute.

Pulse, which can be checked by placing two fingers on your wrist or neck, is a method of measuring heart rate. However, it actually refers to the number of times per minute the arteries are contracting and expanding as the heart pumps blood round the body.

The pulse and heart rate are usually the same, but if someone has a condition which means the heart is not pumping blood efficiently, the two may be different.