How to Check a Pulse in the Neck

Your pulse while exercising lets you monitor your fitness and exertion levels.

The human pulse is one of the easiest and most basic indicators of heart health and fitness. The soft thumping of your pulse is the passing of blood through a major artery. Your body contains several pulse points throughout the body including the groin, wrist, temple, neck and behind the knee. Obtaining an accurate reading of physical fitness through the pulse requires proper counting and time frame monitoring.

Things You'll Need

• Clock

Instructions

1. Place your pointer and middle fingers directly below your jawline and a few inches to the left or right of your Adam's apple on your throat. Only choose one side to monitor.

2. Press your pointer and middle fingers firmly into the skin until you feel the pulse of your carotid artery. Hold your fingers in this position.

3. Continue holding your fingers on your carotid artery and count the pulse beats for a full minute. Time the minute using a stop watch or hand clock. The number of beats you feel is your heart rate. For example, 90 beats in a minute means your heart rate is 90.

Tips & Warnings

• A resting heart rate is only accurate when your mind and body are both resting, such as before falling asleep at night. Sitting at your desk while stressing about a project deadline does not constitute mental resting.

• Get a consistent picture of your heart health by taking your pulse the same time each day, while engaging in the same activity.

• Contact your doctor immediately if you pulse feels abnormally low or high.

References

• Medline Plus: Pulse
• Drugs: How to Take A Pulse