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How to take your wrist pulse

How to take your pulse

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 15 seconds and multiply by 4. This is also called your pulse rate.

Review Date 6/30/2023

Updated by: Jacob Berman, MD, MPH, Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.