Definition of heart rate

The Heart rate is a value that indicates the number of times the heart beats in one minute and is one of the parameters considered vital signs, along with respiratory rate, blood pressure and blood pressure. body temperature.

The heart is a pump whose function is to drive blood from the venous system to the arterial system, being the organ that commands the action of the circulatory system, for this the heart carries out a series of actions of several steps that are constantly repeated from birth to death known as the cardiac cycle, This begins with the filling of the heart chambers or the diastole phase, followed by the expulsion phase of the blood towards the arterial system that corresponds to the systole. Each time the heart ejects blood into the arterial system, it distends and forms a wave that can be perceived if an artery is palpated. superficial (such as the carotid in the neck or the radial in the wrist), this wave gives rise to the pulse which is the main way to determine the frequency cardiac.

Normal heart rate values ​​are considered to be between 60 and 100 beats per minute at rest, normally the heart rate is not a parameter that remains fixed, rather it undergoes variations during the day and may increase during the physical activity, exercise or situations of alert or stress emotional. When the heart rate is below 60 beats per minute it is called bradycardia, while when it is above 100 beats per minute we are in the presence of a tachycardia.

One of the conditions in which it is important to monitor the heart rate is during exercise, it has been shown that there is a point critical known as maximum heart rate that if exceeded leads to a greater risk of cardiovascular problems and even sudden death. The maximum heart rate depends on age and in order to calculate it, age must be subtracted from the value 220, the value obtained is the highest heart rate to be achieved during sports or physical activity, approaching this value is recommended stop.

The heart rate is regulated by a great variety of very complex mechanisms, among them is the nervous systemautonomous, which in turn is divided into nice and parasympathetic, the former prepares the body for stress and is therefore capable of stimulating the system circulatory system by increasing the heart rate, the parasympathetic system has the opposite effect, decreasing the heart rate.

In the chambers of the heart (atria and ventricles) there are also receptors that are capable of determining the pressure in these chambers and the distension of the heart muscle, when These receptors are stimulated and send signals to the nervous system to increase the heart rate in order to decrease the volume of blood, and therefore the pressure, within these cavities.