How to Check Your Heart Rate (Manually and Using a Device)

Measuring your heart rate is an effective and easy way to assess your health. It can help you monitor your overall fitness level and identify potential heart conditions. Your heart rate gives you insights into how your body responds to everyday experiences, like exercise, stress, and diet. A resting heart rate between 60 and 100 beats per minute is considered within a normal range.

“I recommend most adults check their heart rate about once a week, but if you’re older than 60, it’s a good idea to check more often, even daily,” says Jane Henoch, FNP-BC, a Mass General Brigham Heart and Vascular Institute nurse practitioner. Henoch cares for patients at Massachusetts General Hospital and specializes in cardiac arrhythmias, or irregular heartbeats.

“Tell your primary care provider (PCP) or cardiologist if you record an unusually high or low heart rate,” Henoch advises. “If you’re physically fit, it's common for that rate to be a little bit lower, which is a sign of good cardiovascular health. But if your heart beats too fast or too slow, it may be a warning sign of a heart condition.”

Learn how to measure your heart rate, when to get the best results, and when to call your health care provider.

How to measure heart rate by hand

Follow these simple steps:

1. Take the pads/tips of your index (pointer) finger and middle finger.
2. Press them gently against the side of your neck (just under your jawline). Or press on the inside of your wrist, below the base of your thumb.
3. Count the number of beats you feel for 15 seconds. Use a stopwatch or other timing device to track the seconds accurately. Count the number of beats you feel for 15 seconds. Use a stopwatch or other timing device to track the seconds accurately. If your heart rate seems irregular, it’s best to count for a full minute and accept this number as your heart rate.
4. Multiply the number of beats by 4 if you're checking for 15 seconds.
5. That number is your heart rate.

For example, if you count 20 beats in 15 seconds, multiply 20 by 4, for a total of 80 beats per minute (BMP).

Pro tip for a quicker check: Count for 6 seconds and then multiply by 10 for an easy way to get a calculation equal to 60 seconds. It’s common to lose track or focus when counting for a full minute. Counting this way can help you get a more accurate measurement.

When to measure for best results

Using your fitness tracker or watch

“The good news is it’s never been easier to measure your heart rate,” says Henoch. “Many people have watches or smartphone apps they use to check it. These devices are more accurate than in the past and provide good estimates. They can also provide a picture of how your heart rate varies over time.”

These devices also have several advantages, including automatic timing and tracking heart rate over time to show changes or trends.

“If you’re not sure a device reading is accurate, take your heart rate by hand and compare the numbers,” says Henoch.

Heart rate variability (HRV)

If you use a fitness tracker, you can also check the heart rate variability (HRV). HRV is the precise measurement of variations in time between your heartbeats.

HRV may be high or low. Here’s what that means for your health:

• High HRV: This signals that your body is well-rested, recovered, and handles stress well. This is the number that improves after quality sleep or therapies like meditation.
• Low HRV: This acts as your body's "check engine" light. It’s a signal that you may be over-training, getting sick, or experiencing high inflammation from your diet or life stress.

What if my measurement is different than the normal heart rate?

As you track your heart rate regularly over time, you’ll start to understand what’s normal for you. Talk to your primary care provider (PCP) if you notice:

• Resting heart rate consistently slower than 60 beats per minute, called bradycardia, especially if it is accompanied by feelings of significant fatigue, shortness of breath or lightheadedness
• Resting heart rate faster than 100 beats per minute, called tachycardia
• Any irregular rhythm, called arrhythmia, when you may feel an extra beat or a skipped beat

Many people wonder about tachycardia vs. bradycardia and if you can have both conditions. “While these are two different conditions, and most people experience one or the other at different times, tachy brady syndrome is a condition in which your heart alternates between beating too fast and beating too slow,” says Henoch.

How to improve your HRV and resting heart rate naturally with nutrition

HRV is closely tied to inflammation, blood sugar balance, gut health, micronutrients, and overall nervous system function—all of which are strongly influenced by what you eat.

“A higher HRV is associated with reduced risk for cancer, heart disease, and what we call all-cause mortality (overall risk of death). Nutrition is a powerful lever for HRV,” says Mary Hyer, RD, LDN, CCRP, a Mass General Brigham Heart and Vascular Institute cardiac rehabilitation dietitian. She works with patients at the Elfers Cardiovascular Center at Newton-Wellesley Hospital.

Hyer explains that these things can cause noticeable changes in heart rate variability, even in the short term:

• Diet quality
• Meal timing
• Hydration
• Alcohol intake

“Resting heart rate is influenced more by genetics, age, fitness level, and cardiovascular conditioning,” she adds. “Nutrition matters, but its effects on resting heart rate are usually slower and less dramatic.”

Here’s what you can do to improve HRV and heart rate using nutrition:

Focus on anti-inflammatory fats. The goal isn't "low-fat," but "smart-fat." Healthy, unsaturated fats, especially omega-3s, are essential for reducing systemic inflammation and supporting autonomic and heart rhythm stability. This may lower a resting heart rate and improve HRV over time says Hyer.

Nutrient-dense sources include:

• Fatty fish (salmon, sardines, mackerel, anchovies)
• Ground flaxseed
• Chia seeds
• Walnuts

Embrace plants and whole grains: Eating a plant-rich diet can help lower cholesterol, keep blood sugar steady, enhance your gut health, and reduce inflammation (and HRV) over time.

Healthy options include:

• Leafy greens
• Colorful veggies
• Whole fruit
• Lentils and beans
• Quinoa
• Whole-grain pasta

Consider timing, consistency, and food choices: Eating regular meals throughout the day—rather than skipping meals—helps keep the body in balance. Both under-eating and over-eating can trigger a stress response.

Limit very high-calorie, very salty, or excessively sweet foods to help reduce inflammation and stress on the body, supporting healthier HRV. Eating late at night may disrupt sleep, as the body stays focused on digestion instead of resting, healing, and repairing, which can lower HRV and reduce overnight nervous system recovery.

Here's what you can do:

• Start the day with breakfast.
• Avoid skipping meals.
• Choose meals over grazing.
• Try not to eat after dinner.

Optimize hydration for heart efficiency: Proper hydration goes beyond simply avoiding dehydration. When the body is well-hydrated, blood volume is optimal, so the heart doesn't have to work as hard to pump it.

This improved efficiency can directly lower the heart rate. Staying well-hydrated supports healthy blood volume, so your heart can pump more easily. This reduces cardiovascular strain and can help the nervous system maintain a balanced rhythm. This supports better HRV and a lower resting heart rate over time.

Here’s how to stay hydrated:

• Aim to consume 2 to 3 liters (8 to 12 cups) of fluids per day.
• Drink water as the best option. Herbal teas, sparkling waters and water- rich foods can aid in hydration.
• Limit caffeinated beverages and avoid energy drinks. They can stimulate stress response and increase heart rate.

Body size, activity level, climate, and your overall health impact your fluid needs. Talk to your doctor or dietitian if you have questions about your personal needs.

Limit alcohol intake or consider abstaining from alcohol. Alcohol can lower HRV. Even a single night of drinking increases our stress response, impairing sleep and increasing the risk of dehydration.

Heavier or regular drinking further reduces HRV by affecting the autonomic nervous system. This makes it harder for the body to recover and increases the risk of long-term heart and nervous system stress.

Here’s what you can do: Limit alcohol to 1 drink a day or better yet, drink occasionally rather than daily.

What is a drink? A drink is equal to:

• 5 ounces of wine
• 12 ounces of beer
• 5 ounces of hard alcohol

Irregular heart rhythm (arrhythmia)

Henoch emphasizes that you should immediately report any irregular heart rhythm, or arrhythmia. That may feel like:

• Extra heartbeat
• Fluttering
• Heartbeat that’s suddenly too fast or too slow
• Missed or skipped heartbeat
• Palpitations

An irregular heartbeat might be a sign of atrial fibrillation (AFib), the most common arrhythmia in the world. It can affect people of any age, but it gets increasingly more common as we age. The American Heart Association reports that about 5 million Americans live with AFib today, and more than 12 million people are projected to have it by 2030.

“Afib can lead to blood clots, stroke and heart failure,” says Henoch. “But it’s easy to detect by checking your heart rate. The sooner you report a concern to your health care provider, the sooner our team can do testing, prescribe medications, and discuss minimally invasive treatment options to help prevent stroke or other complications. Monitors such as watches and mobile monitors are great tools to help identify atrial fibrillation.”