Heart rate in middle-aged men

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Abstract
A small study was carried out on 36 middle-aged male volunteers to ascertain if longterm measurement of the heart rate was practical in the unobserved individual, using the SAMI heart-rate counter. An attempt was made to record the mean heart rate during working, evening, and sleeping times over a 48-hr period, while the subjects were living a normal life. The paired comparison test showed that the results obtained were reproducible, although a number of recordings were lost because the electrodes tended to become detached after 24 hr. For the 30 subjects with sufficient recordings, the difference between the average day pulse and the sleeping pulse rate was significantly correlated with the absolute weight of the subject. Cigarette smoking was significantly (and positively) correlated with both the day and the sleeping heart rate. The conclusion was reached that the SAMI heart-rate counter was a practical method of making long-term measurements of the heart rate, provided allowance was made for replacing loose electrodes. In addition, the weight and smoking habits of the subjects concerned should be recorded.