What is the Difference Between Heart Rate and Pulse Rate?

Heart rate and pulse rate are often used interchangeably, but they have slightly different meanings. Here are the key differences between the two:

• Heart Rate: This is the number of times your heart beats per minute. It is a measure of the rate at which your heart is contracting.
• Pulse Rate: This is the number of times your arteries expand and contract with each heartbeat. It is a measure of the pressure changes in your arteries as your heart pumps blood through your body.

Both heart rate and pulse rate are typically measured in beats per minute (bpm) and generally fall within a range of 60-100 bpm for adults at rest. While they are related to the heart's activity, the pulse rate is usually slightly higher than the heart rate due to the delay between the heart's contraction and the resulting pressure change in the arteries.

To measure your pulse rate, you can feel for a pulse at specific points in your body, such as your wrist, neck, or the inside of your elbow, and count the number of beats in 60 seconds. Alternatively, you can use pulse oximeters or mobile apps and wearable devices that detect changes in blood flow to calculate your pulse rate.

Comparative Table: Heart Rate vs Pulse Rate

The main difference between heart rate and pulse rate is that heart rate measures the number of heartbeats per minute, while pulse rate measures the rate of palpable blood pressure increases throughout the body. Although both heart rate and pulse rate provide the same information and measure the same thing, they are technically different. Here is a table comparing the two:

In summary, heart rate and pulse rate both measure the speed at which the heart beats, but they are technically different as heart rate measures the rate of contractions of the heart, while pulse rate measures the rate of palpable blood pressure increases throughout the body.