To listen to your pulse you use your index and middle finger.
To check and listen to your pulse place your index and middle finger of your hand on the inner wrist of the other arm, just below the base of the thumb.
You should feel a tapping or pulsing against your fingers.
Count the number of taps you feel in 10 seconds.
Multiply that number by 6 to find out your heart-rate for one minute.
The normal pulse for healthy adults ranges from 60 to 100 beats per minute.
The pulse rate may fluctuate and increase with exercise, illness, injury, and emotions.
Females ages 12 and older, in general, tend to have faster heart rates than do males.
Consult your doctor if your resting heart rate is consistently above 100 beats a minute (tachycardia) or if you're not a trained athlete and your resting heart rate is below 60 beats a minute (bradycardia) — especially if you have other signs or symptoms, such as fainting, dizziness or shortness of breath.
Well-trained athletes may have lower resting heart rates in the range of 40 to 60 beats per minute.
A study showed that a resting heart rate over 90 bpm triples the risk of premature death as compared to the lowest heart rate category of less than 50 bpm.
The resting heart rate for children varies by age.