Question

Normal heart rate of a healthy individual is –
A. 20-40 beats/min
B. 60-100 beats/min
C. 200-600 beats/min
D. 2-10 beats/min

Answer 1

Hint: Heart rate refers to the speed with which our heart beats to pump the blood, measured by the number of contractions of the heart per minute.

Complete answer:
The normal heart rate of a healthy individual is 60-100 beats/minute.
The heart rate is variable and varies according to the physical need of our body, including the need to absorb oxygen and excrete carbon dioxide. It is usually equal or close to the pulse measured at any peripheral point like at the wrist, or at the back of the knee, etc. Activities that can alter the rate include physical exercise, sleep, anxiety, stress, illness, and drugs.
A normal resting heart of an adult beats at a speed of 60 to 100 beats per minute. Generally, a lower heart rate at rest suggests more efficient cardiac functioning and better cardiovascular fitness. For example, a well-trained athlete may have a normal resting heart rate closer to 40-50 beats per minute.

Additional information:
The cardiac cycle is a complete process starting from the ending of one heartbeat to the beginning of the next. It consists of two periods:
- Diastole- During this period the heart muscle relaxes and refills with blood.
- Systole- Diastole is followed by a period of massive contraction and pumping of blood, called systole.

So, the correct answer is ‘60-100 beats/min'.

Note: Arrhythmias are abnormal rhythms of your heartbeat. This means that our heart may beat too slowly (bradycardia), too fast (tachycardia), or in an irregular pattern. These abnormal rhythms can occur when the electrical impulses coming from our heart do not fire as they normally should.