Blood pressure is one of the vital signs that indicates how well our cardiovascular system is working.
If any of the principal vital signs — such as blood pressure — doesn’t meet the normal ranges, it may mean something is wrong with our health. However, it is important to be aware that blood pressure ranges can temporarily change under certain circumstances.
In this article, we will cover everything you need to know about how to check blood pressure to preserve your health.
Our organs and other tissues receive blood supplies from the heart. As the blood runs throughout our body, pressure emerges into the blood vessels of the circulatory system. The state of this pressure is reviewed and diagnosed during a blood pressure check.
There are two types of readings to measure blood pressure:
Blood pressure readings are measurements expressed by a pair of numbers that represent the systolic and diastolic blood pressure. The unit measure of blood pressure is millimeters of mercury (mmHg). For example:
125/75(mmHg)
The top number (125) represents the systolic blood pressure, while the bottom number (75) represents the diastolic blood pressure.
According to the guidelines of the American Heart Association, blood pressure ranges are:
Digital devices can be used to check blood pressure. Here is how:
Our heart rate can easily be affected by the activities and emotions that we experience in our daily lives. Some factors that cause blood pressure to temporarily rise are:
The best time to check your blood pressure is during the morning, before taking any medicines or caffeine. Just make sure to be relaxed and wait about 5 minutes for the cortisol hormone — which gives us adrenaline to help us wake up — to settle down.
BASS Urgent Care provides medical services to help you monitor and keep your blood pressure under control. Your well being is our priority.