What is Blood Pressure all about ?

"I know that you believe you understand what you think I said, but I'm not sure you realize that what you heard is not what I meant..." - Alan Greenspan Have you had your blood pressure taken yet ? Whether you're having the odd stumble into your local doctor's clinic in search of a cure for the average ailment, caught a bad breeze of misfortune and ended up hospitalised, or just popping in for your annual check up, you'll more than likely get your blood pressure taken. Ya lucky thing. guess some forms of pressure can be good for you.....right ? You may have realised that pressure has got something to do with yourhealth. ut........!hat's blood pressure " You o#ten en$ounter it mingled with topi$s su$h as "health" and "$holesterol" and "e%er$ise" and "smoking" and all those other prim and proper terms that make us hang our heads in shame and #eel ever so goddamn un#it. And you may also know a #ew people with high blood pressure, who may tell you how they're going on a healthy diet, and start bringing $arrot sti$ks with them wherever they go. &eople who you automati$ally asso$iate with hungry bunnies. !hat's wrong with eating $arrots "" o.' (o.....!hat is blood pressure " !ell. It is the pressure )obviously* e%erted by the #low o# blood )aha.* against the walls o# the main arteries. (o what " +ow is that signi#i$ant " lood pressure basi$ally shows the amount o# work that your heart has to do to pump blood around the body. ,veryone has blood pressure. ,veryone alive, that is. -wo numbers are involved in measuring the level o# blood pressure. 'n one o# these ma$hines, this is how they are shown )the top two big-sized numbers*.

/a$hine is reading. (o you are alive ). !hen the heart beats, what a$tually happens is that the heart mus$le s0ueezes the blood out #rom the heart. -his blood is pumped through the main artery and out o# the heart, travelling to the lungs or around the body. -hink. a #or artery, a#or away #rom the heart. It's like a little 1ourney. -he pressure o# this blood #low hitting against the wall o# the artery is $alled systoli$ blood pressure or thesystole. 'n a blood pressure reading this is symbolised by the top number. ut what about the other number " Yup, you guessed it, this is $alled diastoli$ blood pressure , otherwise known as the diastole. It symbolises the pressure o# the blood #lowing ba$k to the heart, when the heart mus$les rela%. -he #or$e o# the blood against the walls o# the artery is a lot weaker than be#ore, whi$h means that there is not that mu$h pressure involved, whi$h means that the number symbolising it )the bottom number on a reading* is smaller than the number on the top. !hat is the "2ormal" lood &ressure "

-he ultra normal level o# blood pressure as stated in many te%tbooks is 345675, but in reality, hardly anyone hits that "per#e$t, normal" target. Your blood pressure $an be in#luen$ed by many things. 8or e%ample, it $an vary with age and the relative $onditions the individuals may have. It $an depend on your mood9 i# you #eel nervous or an%ious, the measurement $an be higher than usual. lood pressure also depends on how a$tive you are be#ore it is measured. I# you had be out 1ogging #or a good hal# an hour - and you wouldn't be e%a$tly $ategorising yoursel# as a dedi$ated $ompetitor in the o##i$ial 'lympi$s' marathon - $han$es are your blood pressure will $ome up. !hy " In simple terms, be$ause when you're running, you're using the energy in your mus$les. /us$les need blood to supply them with o%ygen to work properly, so the heart has to a$t the busy postman, and shoot the #low o# blood )$arrying o%ygen* down their way. In other words, the heart has to work harder and #aster, whi$h in turn in$reases the heart beat. It also in$reases the pumping a$tion and subse0uent #low o# blood in and out o# the heart, thus, in$reasing the blood pressure. "(o....mu$h......blood....to.................send....." Athletes generally have a lower blood pressure than ordinary people even when they are e%er$ising, be$ause their bodies have be$ome used to this sort o# work and the heart does not need to work mu$h harder. :ikewise, #or all us $omputer potatoes out here, a little e%er$ise $ould have us bending over and panting and spluttering and $oughing and holding our ribs like there is no tomorrow, while our hearts beat as 0ui$kly as the engine on a 8errari ,nzo and our blood pressureshitting the roo#. (till, there isn't a de#inite blood pressure you have to get to be "normal", but i# youdo get the ever so #amous 345675, good #or you ; lood pressure values are pretty mu$h individualised, but there is a normal healthy range o# blood pressures that you'd wanna say within in general. -hese levels range between the lowest 3556<5 to the highest 3=56>5. I# you #ind that you are outside o# this range, but have had a #amily history o# this value, then I won't worry too mu$h about it. +owever, i# there aren't any history you are aware o#, it mightn't be a bad idea to go #or a $he$k up. +ere is a very interesting arti$le on the truths about blood pressure. 8or more statisti$s and whatnot, $he$k out this hub on what is normal blood pressure. I# you are a guy and wondering about your blood pressure, you $ould also have a read on this in#ormative hub on what's the norm #or men. !ith this hub, we have di##erent values #or norms, but it is very in#ormative and well worth a read.

Sphygmomanometer !k, this big long "ord is pronounced# $%fig%mo%ma%nom%meter. &o the checks for the right size etc 'see ntroduction to measuring blood pressure for more info(, and make sure it's "orking properly. )lace the dial on a flat surface "here you can easily see. Hold the pump in the palm of your dominant hand and close the valve using the fingers on that hand. *lamp your fingers do"n repeatedly and +uickly on the pump thats still in your palm. f the cuff inflates and the dial increases, ,hat means it is "orking. $imple as it may sound, this takes practice to master. Hang the dial on the cuff.

-s "ell as the one sho"n here, there is also a mercury sphygmomanometer.

t is no longer used in many health care institutions because of it's prone to breaking and causing mercury toxicity, "hich is a health hazard.

Stethoscope Hang this around your neck and you'll feel like a doctor Measuring Blood Pressure Manually Starting from when you have done the checks and have the blood pressure cuff in place... Step 1: Feel for the brachial pulse of the arm with the cuff on. This pulse is located in the inside of the elbow on the bone thats near your body... Always use your fingers "hen taking a pulse , not your thumb, because there is a strong pulse in the thumb. You may confuse it "ith the actual pulse you are taking. We are taking the brachial pulse instead of theradial pulse %located on the "rist% because the brachial is closer to the area "here the cuff is, and any changes could be felt more +uicker. ,he differences are subtle, but present. Step 2# .eep feeling the pulse and inflate the cuff until you cannot feel it anymore. /ook at the dial and note the number on "hich the pointer has landed. ,his "ill give you a rough guide as to "hat the systole is. 0or e1ample, the pointer has landed on 234mmHg. &eflate the cuff immediately. Step 3# Wait a fe" minutes to give the persons arm a rest. n the meantime, you could put on your stethoscope and rub the diaphragm 'end of the stethoscope you "ill use on the person's skin( against the palm of you hand to "arm it up a bit for the persons comfort. Step 4# )lace the diaphragm against the person's arm "here you had taken the brachial pulse. f you prefer, you could also slot the end of the stethoscope under the cuff. Step 5# 5emember the number on the dial ? 6o" add 34. $o 234 7 34 8 294. ,his ne" number is gonna be the number on the dial you "ill inflate the cuff to.

Step 6# nflate the cuff to 294mmHg and slo"ly, but not too slo"ly, deflate it. .eeping your eye on the dial, you "anna listen out for the thumping sound . f you cannot hear it in the first fe" tries, don't "orry, look at the dial for the first slight jerk of the pointer. 6ote the value on the dial...,his is the systole. Step 7# *ontine to slo"ly deflate the cuff until the thumping sound stops, or "hen the pointer onthe dial ceases to jerk. 6ote the value on the dial again % this is the diastole. &eflate the cuff immediately thereafter.

-gain if you don't get this the first fe" tries, don't fret. :easuring somebody's blood pressure manually re+uires a good bit of practice. !nce you follo" the steps and understand the rationale for these steps, the rest "ill soon follo". hope this helped...;ood luck <

.no"ing ho" to take blood pressure can be challenging, but very useful "hen you haven't got a professional health care "orker hanging around. t's like aiming to perfect in a &. .Y. "orkshop minus the presence of a carpenter, mechanic, etc. =lood pressure can be taken using either one of the t"o methods# You can take it electronically "ith the modern digital blood pressure monitoring devices ormanually using the good ol' fashioned blood pressure monitoring e+uipment. f you're going to take somebody's blood pressure, there are a fe" things to keep in mind#

2.

Time of day. ,here isn't really a single >best time of the day> to take blood pressure for it to be the most accurate value. Ho"ever, if you're gonna take it routinely, say, on a daily or "eekly basis, it should be done during the person's free time and at his?her convenience, around the same time each day. =lood pressure is typically at its lo"est right after "aking up. t gradually rises at varying levels throughout the day, then decreases again in the evening or before bedtime. ,his fluctuation is a result of hormone changes in the body, the person's level of activity, and eating schedule.

3.

cti!ity status. 0or a more accurate result, make sure that the person had been resting for at least 34 minutes before taking their blood pressure. @nless you're doing an e1periment on >the effects of e1ercise on blood pressure> or something #? 5egardless of ho" e1cited you are to try out your ne" skills, you don't "ant to "restle the person do"n "ho had been just back from the gym to take their blood pressure.....that is neither correct nor ethical, to say the least.

A.

"uff si#e. ,here are a good fe" different cuff sizes for varying arm "idths, ranging from neonates to children, to adults and to people "ho are obese. You should find the right cuff size for that person.... f it is too small, it "ill not fit the person's arm properly and "ill more than likely burst open "hen inflated. f it is too big, it "ill slide do"n the person's arm. Bither "ay, you "on't be able to get an accurate reading, so you might as "ell start by finding the correct fit for the person. ,he trick is to "rap the cuff around the person's bare arm snuggly, allo"ing room for no more than t"o finger spaces underneath. 0ollo"ing the guidelines that are usually on the cuff, make sure that the arro" 'artery marker( on the cuff points do"n"ards at the the inner elbo" "here the brachial artery is. f the adhesive bit sticks properly, then "e're in business '#

9.

rm le!el and position. ,he upper arm should be kept at the same level as the person's heart, "hile the lo"er arm should be rested belo" on a pillo" or the person's lap to avoid messing up the reading and making it inaccurately high or lo". f the arm is belo" heart level, the reading "ill be too high. /ike"ise,if the arm is above heart level, the readings "ill be too lo". ,his can be due to the effects of hydrostaticpressure, or the pressure e1erted by the li+uid 'blood( "hen at rest. t may add an e1tra 3mmHg

'measurement for pressure( for everyinch above or belo" the heart level. -nother factor is that if the arm is raised up buy the patient, this >e1ercise> or use of muscle "ill also increase the blood pressure. -lso, try to keep the arm fairly straight and still, other"ise you'll find it very hard to get a reading at all, especially those "ho use the digital device.
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$ther factors. /et the person empty their bladder prior to measuring their blood pressure. .eep the legs uncrossed, and support the back and feet. :ake sure that s?he is not in pain and does not have difficulty breathing. ,he person should be rela1ed and shouldnottalk during the process of blood pressure monitoring...0ailure to check these off could give you a surpringly inaccurate reading <

%igital &lood pressue measuring de!ices 6o"adays, there are many ne" different inventions of digital blood pressue measuring devices. *heck them out right here < :ost of them have cuffs for the arm, but some are specially calibrated in size and accuracy for the "rist also, depending on your preferance. @sing this device could not be made simpler. .eeping the above pointers in mind, just press the button and "ait for the screen to come up "ith a digital reading of you blood pressure. $ee ? Bveryone's an e1pert "ith modern technology < !r if you happen to have 'hite coat syndrome, your doctor may ask you to monitor your o"n blood pressure using the device, or hand you a (olter monitor that does the job on an hourly basis for 39 hours "hile you carry on "ith your daily "ork and activities. -ll you have to do is pick up your pen and record the hourly results.

$ounds very convenient and practical, right ? Ho"ever....there are some do"nfalls.

f you're buying one, they can be a"ful e1pensive /ike "ith all electrical appliances, these machines can break do"n n certain cases, especially "ith a fidgety child, it may be impossible to get a recording at all, let alone an accurate one $trictly speaking, the recording is not as accurate or reliable as the one you get from using the manual blood pressure monitor