Software Bugfix: Do you only see January
in the calendar dropdown? - Click here
The following information is provided to help you understand
about blood pressure and why its measurement can be really important.
Before we dive in, let's quickly review the three golden rules
of taking your own blood pressure.
The Golden Rules
|1) Always consult with a
professionally qualified medical practitioner/doctor.
|Taking your own blood pressure should only be done to
compliment any advice or treatment given by your doctor.
It is no substitute to the service your doctor can supply
and may not be as accurate as the readings they may take.
If at any time you are in doubt always consult with
your doctor and do not attempt self diagnosis.
The reason for taking your own readings is to provide a
record over period of time to assist your doctor who may
only be able to take measurements infrequently when you
|2) Always take your readings/measurements
at the same time of day.
|Our blood pressure can vary greatly and depends on many
factors. As a general rule it is at its lowest in the small
hours of the night when we are sleeping and at its greatest
at sometime during the day. It is also affected by what
we eat, drink do and how stressed we may be. So to try and
get a stable average it is best to always take your measurements
at the same time of day. We recommend early evening .
|3) Do not eat, drink, smoke
or exercise just before taking your measurements.
|Try to relax; do not eat, drink, smoke or do any exercise
15 minutes before takings your measurements.
Okay now lets look at things in a bit more detail. The table
below shows the topics we are going to look at:
What Is Blood Pressure?
Your blood pressure is a measure of the pressure inside
your arteries (tubes that supply blood with oxygen inside your
body) during the beating of your heart. This pressure is the
force 'behind your blood' that is needed to push it through
your blood vessels to reach every part of your body.
How Is Blood Pressure Measured?
Taking blood pressure readings can be done using differing
types of measuring device. The traditional device, and sometimes
considered the most accurate, is the Mercury sphygmomanometer.
This involves your doctor or nurse pumping up a rubber cuff
placed around your arm until your blood flow stops. The cuff
pressure is measured using something that's looks like a thermometer
but is a glass 'U' tube. This 'U' tube contains the liquid metal
Mercury. The readings taken with this equipment are measured
in millimeters (mm) of Mercury. This is the pressure of the
vessels in your arm pushing the mercury up a certain distance
of the glass tube against gravity which is then measured. This
is where the numbers for blood pressure measurement come from
(mm of Mercury/hg) regardless of the way they are measured.
More recently, electronic devices are used to replace the older
glass 'U' tube sphygmomanometer but still require the cuff being
placed around your arm.
You can do it yourself if you have a meter, but always read
the instructions carefully to ensure you are doing correctly.
What Do The Figures Mean?
Normally blood pressure is measured with two numbers,
measured in mm of Mercury (mm-hg). There is no perfect average
but '120 over 70' or '120/70' could be considered good. Often
we are told our blood pressure in these terms but do not really
know what they mean. So we need to look them in closer detail,
but before we do this, let's look at your heart:
Your heart is a pump. In engineering terms it is known as a
displacement pump or one that works on the principle of sucking
into an enclosed space then blowing out at a higher pressure
(in simple terms). Other examples of a displacement pumps are
piston pumps such as the ones we use to blow up airbeds or balloons.
In one movement they suck in and in the opposite they push out.
That's why your heart makes a 'boom boom' noise. Your 'Pulse'
is the number of times, each minute; your heart pushes blood
through your body. The Biology Place website describe how your
heart works really well and we really recommend you have a read
by clicking here
So let's look at those numbers. 120 over 70 (120/70) and what
do they indicate? The first number is known medically as the
'Systolic'. This is the pressure in your arteries
when your heart is pushing your blood, or blowing the blood
through you body in (mm-hg). The second number is known medically
as the 'Diastolic'. This is the pressure in
your arteries when your heart has finished pushing your blood
and has relaxed, preparing itself for the next 'push'. The measurement
is also in (mm-hg).
No-one has a perfect blood pressure, constantly. The human
body is a fantastic invention; it can adapt itself perfectly
to most environments.
When your body is being physically exerted, the part of your
Brain that controls your vital functions tells your heart to
beat quicker. This ensures that your blood, which carries the
valuable oxygen to your muscles and organs, gets there quicker.
Your brain reacts the same way when you are stressed since it
sees this as a threat to your existence and prepares your body
to fight or flee. The reverse happens when you are relaxed or
sleeping, your brain decides you are not under threat and your
body does not need the faster rate of oxygenated blood.
There is also another side to the story that also affects your
blood pressure. Your whole body hangs off the other end of the
arteries (pipes) that your heart is pumping the blood through
to. If you have an organ (Liver, Kidneys, Brain) that is not
100% then this may affect things; But and more commonly it's
the arteries themselves that can cause problems
So there are three important factors when we look at blood
1) Ability of your heart to pump your blood
2) Ability of your Cardiovascular System (Arteries etc) to
supply the blood
3) Ability of your body to accept the blood
Nobody's blood pressure reading is ever consistent. This is
why taking your blood pressure is a very difficult thing to
do and must be done many times to get the average, and a good
reflection of the normal running of the body.
Why Take Your Own Measurements
And The Pitfalls!
Unless you are a doctor or nurse who has been professionally
trained in taking blood pressure measurements you may not be
doing it 100% correctly, your equipment is probably not as accurate
and it is always better to get someone else to do it. However
if you do it yourself regularly, you can provide records taken
many times over a long time period which can compliment what
the doctor sees when they take it. It helps them understand
the fluctuations and variations in your normal life and not
just while you are in the clinic.
Obtaining And Using A Blood
You can buy your own electronic meter from most drug stores/pharmacy
outlets. Ask the Pharmacists to recommend a device. Try and
buy one with a separate arm cusp instead of an all in one unit
as these tend to be more accurate. Always make sure the batteries
are okay when using it as flat batteries can give rogue readings!
Taking Your Readings
Remember the Golden Rules above.
Using The Recorder
The Lifestyle Toolbox Blood Pressure Recorder is simple
and quick to use. Simply start the program on your computer
enter you details for that day and close it again - all this
can be done in less than 30 seconds. If you want to view the
report, simply click on the appropriate button. As a tip always
take your measurements for a day before viewing the report!
- If you do not already have the Recorder, please click here
to download it.
Using Lifestyle Toolbox
The Lifestyle Toolbox Blood Pressure Recorder is simple
and ideal for providing an overview. If you want to analyze
things (diet, activities etc) that may be affecting your blood
pressure, in a bit more detail, we suggest trying the main Lifestyle
Toolbox program which is available from this website ...more
Back to Top of Page
Lifestyle Toolbox provide this software free of charge
as a memorial to Steve West of Bedford England, who died unexpectedly
of a myocardial
infarction on December 20th 2006.