Understanding Blood Pressure Measurement Factors

1. Understanding Blood Pressure Measurement Factors If you are new to measuring blood pressure then it is required for you to understand what the measurements mean. Most of us who have been to a general physician for a body check-up know that there are two measurements of blood pressure – diastolic and systolic. The first thing that you need to know is the difference between these two. The systolic blood pressure measurement is the reading taken when the heart pumps and the pressure of the blood in the arteries is measured. On the other hand, diastolic blood pressure is the one which is measured when the heart is in between beats in a relaxed state, and the pressure of the blood on the arteries is measured using a blood pressure monitor. Preferable measurements of both these readings are around 120 systolic and 80 diastolic. This is considered to be the normal reading of the blood pressure of an adult human being. However, there are people whose normal blood pressure reading differs slightly from these measurements. This is the reason that getting the right diagnosis of hypertension requires you to keep a regular check on your blood pressure and you can easily do it with the help of a digital blood pressure monitor. Such monitors are specifically meant for home use and your effort at measuring your blood pressure regularly will give your doctor the right guidance in deciding your medicine dosage. On the other hand, it is also advisable to take blood pressure measurement regularly if you are above 40 years of age. This will give you an alarm as soon as your blood pressure starts fluctuating. You can take immediate action with the help of your doctor if there is a discrepancy between the blood pressure readings which indicates that you have higher or lower than normal blood pressure. Digital blood pressure monitors are easily available online and you can select one with the guidance of your doctor.