Learn all about resting heart rate, including how to measure it, with this simple experiment!
This is the perfect activity for kids who are curious about the heart, dream of becoming a doctor or wants to work in health care.
Let’s dive in!
Materials
- Duct tape
- Scissors
- Plastic funnel
- Cardboard tube
- Stopwatch
- Paper and pencil (for help with calculations)
- A volunteer such as a friend, family member, classmate, etc.
How to Measure Resting Heart Rate
Step 1
Secure the narrow end of the funnel to the cardboard tube using duct tape. Make sure that there are no gaps or spaces between the funnel and cardboard tube.
Step 2
Now your stethoscope is ready to use! Listen to the heartbeat of your volunteer by pressing the funnel on the left side of your volunteer’s chest. Make sure it is flat against their chest. Hold your ear up to the open end of the cardboard tube.
Step 3
Have your volunteer sit down in a chair for a couple of minutes so that you can take their resting heartbeat. After a few minutes have passed, while your volunteer is still sitting, set the stopwatch to 10 seconds and count how many times their heart beats.
STEM Q for You: In the last step you recorded the number of times their heart beats in 10 seconds. If we want to know the number of times their heart beats in one minute, what could we do? … Multiply this number by 6 to get their resting heart rate in beats per minute. Heart rate is typically measured in beats per minute (bpm)!
STEM Q for You: Now that you have recorded the resting heart rate for one person, what do you think the average resting heart rate for an adult is? What do you think the average resting heart rate for a child is? … The average resting heart rate for adults is 60-100 beats per minute. A child’s average resting heart rate is anywhere from 70-130 beats per minute depending on gender and age.
Step 4
Make a prediction! Do you think your volunteer’s heart rate will increase, decrease, or stay the same after doing exercise? Why?
Have your volunteer do some exercise for one minute. Suggest jumping jacks or a quick run. As soon as they finish, repeat steps 2 and 3.
Try this! If you are able to, check the heart rate of the same volunteer in a couple days. Has their heart rate changed or stayed the same? Why do you think this is?
How Does Exercise Affect Heart Rate?
Your heart’s main job is to pump blood to move important nutrients such as oxygen around your body.
When you are exercising, your muscles require a lot more oxygen, meaning that your heart has to work harder to bring more oxygen to them!
Oxygen travels through the bloodstream, so to bring it to your muscles faster, your heart beats faster to push your blood around your body.
So, while you are exercising, your heart rate goes up (increases).
How to Measure Heart Rate During Exercise?
To calculate a heart rate immediately after exercising it’s better to count the number of beats in 10 seconds and multiply that value by six to get their beats per minute rather than physically counting the number of heart beats heard in one minute.
Heart rates will quickly slow down after exercising, so the heart rate should be measured immediately after a person has stopped exercising to be as accurate as possible.
What Influences Someone's Heart Rate
This experiment can show you how heart rate can vary by age and gender, but other factors can impact your heart rate too.
In fact, medical conditions, medications, diet and fitness level all contribute to heart health.
Protecting your heart health is one of the many reasons why it is so important to live a healthy and balanced lifestyle! We should all be eating nutritious foods and incorporating exercise into our daily routines!
