Heart Rate vs. Pulse Rate

Main Difference

The key difference between heart rate and pulse rate is that the heart rate is the number of times heart contracts in a minute". On the other hand, pulse rate is the number of times the blood flows from the capillaries that are caused due to the contractions in a minute.

Difference Between Heart Rate and Pulse Rate

Comparison Chart

Heart Rate vs. Pulse Rate

The human body is a complex structure, and many systems within the body keep on running and performing their task to keep the human alive. Their working can differ, or they can be related to each other but are an integral part of any living being. There are also different processes that keep on going inside a person which can differ to each other. Two such methods are known as heart rate and pulse rate. Both are considered similar in some cases but in reality, they are unlike each other and have to be calculated differently. Heart rate is defined as the number of times that the heart contracts in a minute. On the other hand, pulse rate is the number of times the blood flows from the capillaries that are caused due to the contractions in a minute. Another difference between the two is the place from where they can be measured. There are many places from which a heart rate can be measured and same is the case for pulse rate. A heart rate can be measured from the neck while a pulse rate can be accurately measured from the earlobe.

Different types of instruments are used to measure both. e.g, heart rate can be measured with the help of transmitter of the heart rate monitor or with the aid of electrodes of the EKG machine. On the other hand, the pulse rate can be measured with the support of a pulse meter which in some cases is also known as photo-reflectance or infrared monitor. There are many other ways of measuring both of them as well but the ones mentioned above are the main ones. An interesting fact is that in most cases the heart and pulse rate are similar to each other. Different age groups have different rates of pulse and heart. For women, the heart rates can be higher than the male while in the case of the pulse, the rates can be higher in male as compared to women. The heart rate can increase when a person does any kind of physical activity while the pulse rate does not change in such circumstances.

What is Heart Rate?

The heart rate can be defined as the number of times the heart contracts and expands over a period of time. This time is usually a minute. The heart rate is a phenomenon which occurs when the blood is moved from the heart to other parts of the body and then changes the blood pressure of a human. There are many factors involved in the heart rate that can modify the speed at which the heart beats. The heart rate in an average person is 60-100 bpm. BMP is known as beats per minute. When the number reaches 140 or more, then it is considered a dangerous phenomenon. There are different devices which can help in measuring the rate, but the principal one is electrocardiograph which has electrodes that contribute to calculating the number of times the heart beats. The rates are different for male and female while they are also different for people in various age groups. Another way of calculating the rate is to use a stethoscope and keeping it in the heart, you can count the number of times the heart contracts and expands. The contraction and expansion are considered one beat. When a person does some sort of physical activity the rate of heart increases which can also increase when a person does cardio exercises.

What is Pulse Rate?

The pulse rate is the growth in the artery pressure that can be observed in a human body. It can be directly related to heart rate since it is the heart that pumps blood throughout the body and the speed at which the blood is pumped is the frequency of the pulse in the human body. For a person who is healthy and does not have any medical condition, the heart rate, and pulse rate can be similar. The rate is different in human beings such as men and women while it is also variable in the age groups. It is similar to heart rate, and a normal pulse rate is 60-100 bpm. The maximum pulse rate that a human body can tolerate is 220 bpm. There are different ways of calculating the pulse rate but most of the times it can be calculated by measuring the wrist rate when a person is in normal condition. There are different devices which can help in measuring the rate, but the principal one is photo-reflectance or infrared monitor. The pulse rate also tells about the person’s condition of health; in the case of fever or other diseases, the pulse rate can increase giving the indication that the person is not feeling well.

Conclusion

Heart Rate and Pulse Rate are two terms which are generally used whenever we are studying biology. People who do not know much also get to hear them but do not have an idea of what they actually mean. This article has laid out the differences between them and a clear understanding of the terms so that people can understand them properly.