Overview
How to take your pulse.
1. Place the tips of your index and middle finger on the inside of your wrist below the base of your thumb.
2. Press lightly. You will feel the blood pulsing beneath your fingers.
3. Use a watch or clock with a second hand. Count the beats you feel for 1 minute. Or count the beats for 30 seconds and multiply by 2. This is also called your pulse rate.
Review Date 2/2/2023
Updated by: Linda J. Vorvick, MD, Clinical Professor, Department of Family Medicine, UW Medicine, School of Medicine, University of Washington, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.