How to Take Your Own Pulse With a Stethoscope

Co-authored by Joel Warsh, MD

Last Updated: November 2, 2024 Approved

Whether you are simply curious or have been advised by a doctor, you can use a stethoscope to listen to your own heartbeat and measure your pulse. This article will walk you through how to use a stethoscope on yourself, how to count your heartbeats, and how to turn your measurement into a BPM calculation. Read on for more info!

1

Purchase a stethoscope if you do not already have one.

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You are only counting and will not need to listen to quality. Spending a max of 20-30 dollars for the double-tubed "Sprague" type will do just fine.

2

Find a way to keep time.

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A watch with a second hand is much easier than a digital watch because you do not have to count the seconds, you can just look at where the second hand should end up on your watch at the end of the time that you want.

3

Take off unnecessary layers.

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Depending on the quality of your stethoscope you can usually listen through about two T-shirt layers of clothing (just for the beats, not quality). Take any extra heavy clothing off if you cannot hear your heart clearly.

4

Place the earpieces in your ears.

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The earpieces of the stethoscope are usually angled and in order to hear correctly and have them be comfortable you need to place the tips in facing FORWARD, in the direction that you are looking. If they are not comfortable, you may gently bend them forward or backwards to get a good fit.^{[1]
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5

Check to see if you can hear a sound.

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Many stethoscopes have chestpieces with two sides that can be rotated around the tubing to better hear high frequency and low frequency lung sounds, a diaphragm and a bell. When one is in use the other cannot be used. With the earpieces in your ears, GENTLY rub the diaphragm side (the one with the flat plastic piece) of the stethoscope and listen for a sound. If you do not hear a sound, turn the chest piece over (you should hear it click into position) and try again. This should resolve any issues.^{[2]
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6

Position the chestpiece correctly.

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You want to put the chestpiece diaphragm side down on that line slightly to your left of center. Experiment to find where you can hear your heart best. If you are having trouble and still cannot find it, it may be helpful to lie down or lean forward slightly while doing this.^{[3]
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7

Get your timepiece ready to watch.

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When you listen to the heart, remember that it has TWO beats, which represent the succession of valves in your heart contracting to pump blood (lub-dub lub-dub). HOWEVER ONLY ONE OF THOSE BEATS IS COUNTED IN YOUR PULSE. The first beat is usually stronger and it is recommended only listening to that beat and tuning the first one out.^{[4]
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8

Start counting.

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Look at the second hand on your watch/clock, and when the second hand hits one of the 5 minute markers start counting the beats through your scope. In a clinical setting they typically count the pulse for 30 SECONDS as this is the minimum that is considered accurate. As mentioned earlier, you do not need to note each time the second hand moves, keeping track of that is too much work! Instead, look at where the second hand WILL end up at the end of 30 seconds.
- For example, if you start counting at the "2" mark, the hand will have passed 30 seconds at the "8" marker, or if you start at 12, 30 sec. will be at 6. Stop counting beats when the second hand reaches the marker and 30 seconds have elapsed. If you would like to be even more accurate (because the pulse is not always completely regular), you may count beats for 1 minute.^{[5]
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9

Calculate BPM.

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If you counted for an entire minute you are all set and have your pulse. However, in most cases you now need to do a little math because pulse values are expressed in beats per minute (BPM). You counted the beats for 30 seconds, but as there are 60 seconds per minute you must multiply that by 2 to get beats per 60 seconds.
- For example, if you counted your pulse at 36 beats over 30 seconds, your pulse would be 72 because 36beats/30seconds = 72beats/60seconds. If, for some reason, you counted beats for only 15 seconds (as is sometimes done in moving ambulances because taking pulses is a PAIN in there), you would need to multiply by 4 as 15 x 4 = 60 = bpm.^{[6]
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10

Repeat if required.

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For example, if your measured pulse is 15-20 bpm off your normal, you should definitely repeat this process to make sure you were accurate, and repeat successively until your measurements are relatively similar. And that's all there is to it.

Expert Q&A

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Question

Why am I getting static on my stethoscope?

Arvind Madan
Nephrologist
Arvind Madan is a Nephrologist based in Orlando, Florida. With over 23 years of experience, Arvind works as a Physician at Central FL Kidney Specialists and is the Principal Investigator of the research division there. Arvind is certified by the American Board of Internal Medicine, with a sub-specialty in Nephrology. He is an Assistant Professor of Internal Medicine at the University of Central Florida’s College of Medicine. He is also an Assistant Professor of Medicine at Orlando College of Osteopathic Medicine (OCOM). He received his MD from Maulana Azad Medical College at Delhi University and completed his residency at Nassau County Medical Center.

Arvind Madan

Nephrologist

Expert Answer

First, make sure that the diaphragm and the bells of your stethoscope are clean, a dirty stethoscope with pieces of debris will cause interference while listening. Never put your stethoscope over your clothes because the fabric will also muffle the sounds. Also, make sure to keep the stethoscope tubing untangled and not touching your clothes to avoid static and other noises.

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It's not a great idea to place your thumb over the bell (unused side) of the stethoscope when holding it because the thumb has its own pulse and could mess your count up. You might like to hold it with your thumb and index fingers spread out and parallel, with the sides of the chestpiece in the space between them.^{[7]
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If you don't want to take clothing off it is also possible to place the stethoscope over the brachial artery, at the space where your elbow bends. To do this, expose your elbow and outstretch your arm so it is flat and put the diaphragm down, you will have to gently and slowly press softer to harder on your arm until you hear your pulse. For this you count all beats.^{[8]
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You should consider using the stethoscope on bare skin to prevent it from picking up the sound of rustling fabric. The fabric can also soak up the sound and make your heart sound faint.

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Warnings

If you do happen to hear anything other than the standard "lub-dub" sounds when you are listening to your heart, it may be beneficial to talk to your doctor about them, especially if you are feeling unusually sick. This would include anything you hear between "lub" and "dubs" or anything particularly high-pitched. Listen to recordings of normal heart sounds online to get an idea what your heart should sound like (although note that there is variation).

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Be careful not to bump anything with the chestpiece of the stethoscope while it is in you ears, the sound will carry and this is loud and unpleasant!

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