A portable pulse measuring device, comprising: a lighting configuration comprising two light-emitting sources arranged to emit radiant energy through a human body tissue and two light detectors , each light detector arranged to detect the intensity of said radiant energy from both of the two light-emitting sources after propagation through the human body tissue and to provide input signals representative of said propagation, wherein the two light-emitting sources comprise a first light-emitting source arranged to emit green or blue light and a second light-emitting source arranged to emit red or infrared light for determining pulse rate; processing means configured to determine pulse rate in response to processing the input signals; wherein the elements in the lighting configuration are arranged in the portable pulse measuring device in a configuration where the centers of a first light detector and a second light detector and the first light-emitting source are disposed substantially along a first axis, the first light-emitting source being disposed between the first and second light detectors , and the first light-emitting source and the second light-emitting source are disposed along a second axis differing from the first axis and wherein the distances from the first light-emitting source to the two light detectors differ from each other and the distances from the second light-emitting source to the two light detectors differ from each other; the used wavelengths and distances enabling measurement of a variety of measurement depths in the human body tissue and providing sensitivity to blood flow and insensitivity against to movement artefacts in varying conditions. a lighting configuration comprising two light-emitting sources arranged to emit radiant energy through a human body tissue and two light detectors , each light detector arranged to detect the intensity of said radiant energy from both of the two light-emitting sources after propagation through the human body tissue and to provide input signals representative of said propagation, wherein the two light-emitting sources comprise a first light-emitting source arranged to emit green or blue light and a second light-emitting source arranged to emit red or infrared light for determining pulse rate; processing means configured to determine pulse rate in response to processing the input signals; wherein the elements in the lighting configuration are arranged in the portable pulse measuring device in a configuration where the centers of a first light detector and a second light detector and the first light-emitting source are disposed substantially along a first axis, the first light-emitting source being disposed between the first and second light detectors , and the first light-emitting source and the second light-emitting source are disposed along a second axis differing from the first axis and wherein the distances from the first light-emitting source to the two light detectors differ from each other and the distances from the second light-emitting source to the two light detectors differ from each other; the used wavelengths and distances enabling measurement of a variety of measurement depths in the human body tissue and providing sensitivity to blood flow and insensitivity against to movement artefacts in varying conditions. <EOS>