Heart Rate

There is a technical difference between heart rate and pulse, although they both should come up with the same number:

• Heart rate - how many times the heart beats in a unit of time, nearly always per minute. The number of contractions of the lower chambers of the heart (the ventricles).
• Pulse (pulse rate) - as the blood gushes through the artery from a heart beat, it creates a bulge in the artery. The rate at which the artery bulges can be measured by touching it with your fingers, as on the wrist or neck.

Doctors and other healthcare professionals measure patients' heart rates when monitoring their health, gauging the effectiveness of certain treatments, or making a diagnosis.

Athletes and sports people usually measure their heart beats so that they can gain maximum efficiency from their training regimes.