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9.Some Useful Information about Blood Pressure
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9. Some Useful Information about Blood Pressure
What is Blood Pressure?
Blood pressure is a measure of the force of blood flowing against the
walls of the arteries. Arterial blood pressure is constantly changing
during the course of the heart’s cycle.
The highest pressure in the cycle is called the Systolic Blood Pressure;
the lowest is the Diastolic Blood Pressure.
Both pressure readings, the Systolic and Diastolic, are necessary to
enable a doctor to evaluate the status of a patient’s blood pressure.
Why is it a Good Thing to measure Blood Pressure at Home?
Having your blood pressure measured by a doctor can cause anxiety
which is itself a cause of high blood pressure. As a variety of conditions
affect blood pressure, a single measurement may not be sufficient for
an accurate diagnosis.
Many factors such as physical activity, anxiety, or the time of day, can
influence your blood pressure. Thus it is best to try and measure your
blood pressure at the same time each day, to get an accurate indication
of any changes in blood pressure. Blood pressure is typically low in the
morning and increases from afternoon to evening. It is lower in the
summer and higher in the winter.
Blood pressure is measured in millimetres of mercury (mmHg) and
measurements are written with the systolic pressure before the diastolic
e.g. A blood pressure written as 135/85, is referred to as 135 over 85
mmHg.
Example: fluctuation within a day (male, 35 years old)
mmHg
200
150
100
50
61218 24
Upper curve: systolic blood pressure
Lower curve: diastolic blood pressure
Time of day
HEM-4500-SOLE_main.book Page 37 Tuesday, February 3, 2009 1:30 PM