Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
Having a resting heart rate greater than 80 beats a minute
quadruples your chances of developing a heart attack. A strong heart
pumps large amounts of blood with each beat and doesn't have to beat
as often, so a rapid heart rate often means that you have a weak heart.
The most accurate time to take your pulse is when you first
open your eyes in the morning, because your heart speeds up when you
move, eat, think, or take stimulants in coffee, alcohol, tea, soft
drinks, cigarettes or certain medications. When you first wake up in
the morning, place your fingers on the side of your neck where you
feel the beat and count for sixty seconds (or use a heart rate
monitor). If your resting pulse rate is greater than eighty beats
a minute and you are not sick or taking stimulants, check with your
doctor; you may have something wrong with your heart.
February 1, 2006