5
What Influences Blood Pressure?
Many factors such as genetics, age, sex, altitude, physical activity, anxiety,
muscular development, certain medications or even the time of day can
influence blood pressure. Influences such as sleep or relaxation decreases
blood pressure, while anxiety or exercise increases blood pressure.
Why Monitor Your Blood Pressure at Home?
A visit to a physician’s office can be a stressful situation for a patient. And,
anxiety is a known factor in raising blood pressure. This temporary
occurrence of elevated blood pressure at the physician’s office is
commonly referred to as “white coat syndrome”.
Whether or not you experience “white coat syndrome”, home blood
pressure monitoring provides you with the opportunity to supplement your
physician’s office measurements. These home readings, when taken over
a period of time, can show an accurate indication of change. Furthermore,
your records can assist your physician in evaluating your health and in
making important decisions in the diagnosis and treatment of your
condition. Because of this, it is important to take consistent, daily
measurements of your blood pressure.
The variations in your individual readings should only be interpreted by
your physician or a trained health care professional.
WHO Blood Pressure Classifications
Standards for assessment of high or low blood pressure, regardless of
age, have been established by the World Health Organization (WHO) as
shown in the chart on the following page.
General Blood Pressure Information
4
What is Blood Pressure?
Blood pressure is the pressure that is exerted by blood flowing against the
walls of the blood vessels throughout your body.
Your heart, which is the center of the circulatory system, provides the
force for the blood to flow or circulate. When your heart contracts or beats,
the blood is forced through the blood vessels increasing the pressure. This
is the highest pressure in the cycle or what is referred to as SYSTOLIC
BLOOD PRESSURE. In between beats, your heart relaxes and your blood
pressure decreases. This is referred to as DIASTOLIC BLOOD
PRESSURE.
This complete series of events which occurs in a single heartbeat is
known as the CARDIAC CYCLE.
Your Digital Blood Pressure Monitor will automatically read your blood
pressure and display both systolic and diastolic readings on the screen.
Your systolic will be positioned as the upper number and the diastolic
reading will be the lower number.
(systolic)
120
/
80
(diastolic)
Blood pressure is measured in millimeters (mm) of Mercury (Hg) and is
generally recorded with the systolic pressure (120) listed first and the
diastolic pressure (80) listed second. The numbers are typically separated
by a slash mark ( / ) as shown above.
Both pressure readings, the SYSTOLIC and the DIASTOLIC, are
necessary for a physician to evaluate the status of a patient’s blood
pressure.
Please contact your physician for specific information regarding your own
blood pressure.
Summary of Contents for SmartRead 04-182-001
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