The actual order that the numbers involved in a blood pressure reading are given is systolic over diastolic. The systolic pressure is higher, because it is the reading taken while the heart actually pumps or beats and the diastolic pressure is lower because it is taken when the heart sucks in a fresh quantity of blood to pump around.
There are rough figures that doctors tout as 'normal', yet there is no clear, definitive consensus what these numbers are. In the west, most authorities will say that any reading under 120/80 is all right. However, there are numerous medical professionals who will say that 140/80 does not require treatment, other than to lose a couple of pounds, if you are over weight.
This makes it very problematic for the lay person to ascertain for him or herself, whether his or her blood pressure is satisfactory or not. Blood pressure monitors are very comforting, very accurate yet not costly these days, but how can you interpret the data they give you, if not every medical expert has the same point of view?
Perhaps the only way to get the most sense of this data is to go along to your general practitioner with your blood pressure monitor and discuss its results with your doctor. Your doctor can use his or her sophisticated equipment and verify it with yours and your doctor can give you a couple of figures that can be expected for someone like you.
I say this because there are a number of things that can affect blood pressure. In fact, actual blood pressure changes with every beat of the heart, so your blood pressure can be different every time you take it, which is why a BP monitor takes the average (or the maximum) over, say, a two minute period.
Factors that can (and often do) influence blood pressure are:
The 'White Coat Effect': some individuals' BP soars by as much as 25-50 points if they go into a doctor's surgery. This could be anxiety or it could be fear of doctors, and it is a documented problem.
Mood: fear, anger, depression and anxiety can upset your blood pressure.
Age: your age has some sway on your BP.
Weather: the temperature and the humidity affects BP
Stress: stress, restlessness, lack of sleep and tiredness can have an effect on the levels of your blood pressure.
Diet: which foodstuffs and beverages you have recently consumed have an impact as do whether you are constipated or merely 'full'.
Smoking: smoking and drinking alcohol affect blood pressure.
Exercise: your physical condition, your metabolism and the amount of exercise you take are also reasons.
Time of the Day: for all the above reasons and more, the time of the day that you take the reading has an impact, which is why it is a good idea to have your own blood pressure monitor at home. Then you can measure your BP at definite times of the day and compare the results with the hoped for levels of diastolic and systolic blood pressure given you by your physician.
There are rough figures that doctors tout as 'normal', yet there is no clear, definitive consensus what these numbers are. In the west, most authorities will say that any reading under 120/80 is all right. However, there are numerous medical professionals who will say that 140/80 does not require treatment, other than to lose a couple of pounds, if you are over weight.
This makes it very problematic for the lay person to ascertain for him or herself, whether his or her blood pressure is satisfactory or not. Blood pressure monitors are very comforting, very accurate yet not costly these days, but how can you interpret the data they give you, if not every medical expert has the same point of view?
Perhaps the only way to get the most sense of this data is to go along to your general practitioner with your blood pressure monitor and discuss its results with your doctor. Your doctor can use his or her sophisticated equipment and verify it with yours and your doctor can give you a couple of figures that can be expected for someone like you.
I say this because there are a number of things that can affect blood pressure. In fact, actual blood pressure changes with every beat of the heart, so your blood pressure can be different every time you take it, which is why a BP monitor takes the average (or the maximum) over, say, a two minute period.
Factors that can (and often do) influence blood pressure are:
The 'White Coat Effect': some individuals' BP soars by as much as 25-50 points if they go into a doctor's surgery. This could be anxiety or it could be fear of doctors, and it is a documented problem.
Mood: fear, anger, depression and anxiety can upset your blood pressure.
Age: your age has some sway on your BP.
Weather: the temperature and the humidity affects BP
Stress: stress, restlessness, lack of sleep and tiredness can have an effect on the levels of your blood pressure.
Diet: which foodstuffs and beverages you have recently consumed have an impact as do whether you are constipated or merely 'full'.
Smoking: smoking and drinking alcohol affect blood pressure.
Exercise: your physical condition, your metabolism and the amount of exercise you take are also reasons.
Time of the Day: for all the above reasons and more, the time of the day that you take the reading has an impact, which is why it is a good idea to have your own blood pressure monitor at home. Then you can measure your BP at definite times of the day and compare the results with the hoped for levels of diastolic and systolic blood pressure given you by your physician.
About the Author:
Owen Jones, the writer of this piece writes on a number of subjects, but is currently involved with work on high blood pressure charts. If you want to know more or check out some great offers, just go to our website at High Blood Pressure Recipes.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment