Your pulse is not your heartbeat; it is an arterial echo

Science · Published 27 October 2026 Swipe more like this →

In short: When you feel a rhythmic thrum in your neck or wrist, you aren't feeling your heart squeeze. You are feeling the physical expansion of your arteries as they react to the blood being pushed through them. Understanding this distinction reveals how your body translates internal pressure into external sensation.

While 'heart rate' and 'pulse rate' are often used interchangeably, they measure distinct physiological processes. Heart rate is the frequency of the heart's mechanical contraction—the actual squeezing of the muscle. Pulse, conversely, is the rhythmic expansion and contraction of your arteries as they accommodate the volume of blood ejected by each beat. Because a healthy heart typically pumps with enough force to create a detectable wave in the arterial walls, these two numbers usually match. For instance, a pulse of 70 beats per minute (bpm) generally indicates a heart rate of 70 bpm.

The mechanics of this rhythm are governed by the closing of four heart valves. The 'thump-thump' sound is produced specifically when these valves shut in pairs to prevent backflow. During systole, the tricuspid and bicuspid valves close simultaneously as the ventricles contract, creating the first thump. When the ventricles relax during diastole, the pulmonary and aortic valves close, producing the second thump. This cycle ensures that oxygenated and deoxygenated blood move in one direction, allowing the heart to function as an efficient pump.

However, these two metrics can diverge under specific medical conditions where the heart's output is compromised. In cases of heart failure, the pumping action may be too weak to create a detectable pulse wave. Similarly, conditions like atrial fibrillation (AFib) involve chaotic rhythms, while premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) occur before chambers have filled sufficiently with blood. In these scenarios, the heart rate might be higher than the pulse rate because some beats lack the 'oomph' required to expand the arterial walls.

For a healthy young adult, resting heart rates typically range from 60 to 100 bpm, though elite athletes may see rates as low as 40 bpm. While you cannot quantitatively measure the force of a pulse by hand, blood pressure provides that data by measuring the force exerted against arterial walls during both systole and diastole.

General information, not professional advice. Spotted an error? Flag the card or see corrections and complaints.

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