Our grateful thanks to Trudie Lobban MBE and the Arrhythmia Alliance for their contribution to our on-air report which you can hear again via the audio player below.
Manually checking for an irregular rhythm (uneven, too fast, too slow?) is a simple step, that can take as little as 30 seconds, towards a formal diagnosis of an arrhythmia (heart rhythm disorder).
Research shows that a great many of us do not appreciate the importance of a simple, manual pulse check in detecting a potential irregular heart rhythm.
Details of how to take your pulse are below - there's also free video guide made by the Arrhythmia Alliance on You Tube click here to view it.
Finding your pulse You can find your pulse in places where an artery passes close to your skin, such as your wrist or neck.
To find your pulse in your wrist:
To find your pulse in your neck, press the same two fingers on the side of your neck in the soft hollow area just beside your windpipe.
Checking your pulse When you find your pulse, either:
The figure you get is the number of times per minute your heart is beating. It's known as your resting heart rate, as long as you've been resting for at least five minutes before checking your pulse.
You can also check if your pulse is regular or irregular by feeling its rhythm for about 20-30 seconds. Occasional irregular heartbeats, such as missed beats, are very common. However, if your pulse is irregular for a continued length of time, it can be a sign of atrial fibrillation (see below - a heart condition that causes an irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate). This becomes more common as you get older and affects about 10% of people over 75.
If you're concerned about your pulse, talk to your GP.
What's a normal heart rate? Most adults have a resting heart rate of 60-100 beats per minute (bpm).
The fitter you are, the lower your resting heart rate is likely to be. For example, athletes may have a resting heart rate of 40-60 bpm or lower.
You should contact your GP if you think your heart rate is continuously above 120 bpm or below 40 bpm, although this could just be normal for you.
Exercise and your pulse? If you check your pulse while you're exercising or immediately afterward, it may give an indication of your fitness level. A heart rate monitor is also useful for recording your heart rate when resting and during exercise.
Aerobic activities such as walking, running and swimming are good types of exercise because they increase your heart and breathing rates.
Atrial fibrillation (AF) is a heart condition that causes an irregular and often abnormally fast heart rate.
A normal heart rate should be regular and between 60 and 100 beats a minute when you're resting. You can measure your heart rate by feeling the pulse in your neck or wrist.
In atrial fibrillation, the heart rate is irregular and can sometimes be very fast. In some cases, it can be considerably higher than 100 beats a minute.
This can cause problems including dizziness, shortness of breath and tiredness. You may be aware of noticeable heart palpitations, where your heart feels like it's pounding, fluttering or beating irregularly, often for a few seconds or, in some cases, a few minutes.
Sometimes, atrial fibrillation doesn't cause any symptoms and a person with it is completely unaware that their heart rate isn't regular.
When to see your GP
You should make an appointment to see your GP if:
See your GP as soon as possible if you have chest pain.
What causes atrial fibrillation? When the heart beats normally, its muscular walls contract (tighten and squeeze) to force blood out and around the body. They then relax, so the heart can fill with blood again. This process is repeated every time the heart beats.
In atrial fibrillation, the heart's upper chambers (atria) contract randomly and sometimes so fast that the heart muscle can't relax properly between contractions. This reduces the heart's efficiency and performance.
Atrial fibrillation occurs when abnormal electrical impulses suddenly start firing in the atria. These impulses override the heart's natural pacemaker, which can no longer control the rhythm of the heart. This causes you to have a highly irregular pulse rate.
The cause isn't fully understood, but it tends to occur in certain groups of people (see below) and may be triggered by certain situations, such as drinking excessive amounts of alcohol or smoking.
Atrial fibrillation can be defined in various ways, depending on the degree to which it affects you. For example:
Who's affected? Atrial fibrillation is the most common heart rhythm disturbance, affecting around one million people in the UK.
Atrial fibrillation can affect adults of any age, but it becomes more common as you get older. It affects about 7 in 100 people aged over 65, and more men than women have it.
Atrial fibrillation is more likely to occur in people with other conditions, such as high blood pressure (hypertension), atherosclerosis, or a heart valve problem.
Treating atrial fibrillation? Atrial fibrillation isn't usually life-threatening, but it can be uncomfortable and often requires treatment
Treatment may involve:
Atrial flutter is less common than atrial fibrillation but shares the same symptoms, causes and possible complications. Around a third of people with atrial flutter also have atrial fibrillation.
Atrial flutter is similar to atrial fibrillation, but the rhythm in the atria is more organised and less chaotic than the abnormal patterns caused by atrial fibrillation.
Treatment for atrial flutter is also slightly different because catheter ablation is considered to be the best treatment, whereas medication is often the first treatment used for atrial fibrillation.
Listen to this weeks radio report
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