How Healthy is Your Heart? Find Out at Home Without Any Equipment - CNET

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for most racial and ethnic groups in the US, per the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and someone in the US has a heart attack every 40 seconds.

Your heart rate, also known as your pulse, is a basic measurement of heart health, which is why your doctor or nurse often listens for it during check-ups.

There are two types of heart rate you can measure at home: resting heart rate and maximum heart rate.

Your "resting heart rate" is your pulse at rest, when you're relaxed and still.

Research shows that higher resting heart rates, are linked with lower physical fitness, higher blood pressure, and an increased risk of heart attack and death.

In general, healthy adult heart rates range from 60 to 100 beats per minute, but ranges also depend on age.

In addition to your resting heart rate, you can also measure your heart rate during exercise.

This gives you an idea of how fast your heart beats when it's working extra hard, and how close it is to your "maximum heart rate" -- the highest that your heart rate should ever go.

Your maximum heart rate has to do with how much aerobic capacity your body has.

Studies have found that higher aerobic capacity is associated with less likelihood of heart attack and death, Harvard Health reports.

The best time to measure your resting heart rate is in the morning when you wake up, while you're still in bed. 

To measure your heart rate during exercise, you'll have to pause briefly in the middle of exercising to measure your pulse

Here are some of the most common symptoms of heart attack, heart disease, heart failure and other urgent cardiovascular health concerns to look out for, courtesy of the Mayo Clinic