Measuring blood pressure is a painless and simple procedure that most of us have taken at some point of our lives. Moreover, the information derived from such simple procedure provides us with useful information regarding the condition of our heart as well as the condition of our blood vessels. You might be wondering by now how your blood pressure was measured. In measuring your blood pressure your doctor have told you that your blood pressure let us just say for example is 120/80. The 120 represents the systolic or the maximum pressure in an artery at the moment when your heart is beating and pumping blood through the body while the 80 represents the diastolic which is the lowest pressure in an artery in moments between beats when the heart is resting. Both the systolic as well as the diastolic plays a vital role in measuring your blood pressure since a raise in either of the two will signify that you have high blood pressure or hypertension. Measuring the blood pressure also requires certain steps to follow.
First, it is important for the person who will have his/her blood pressure taken be relaxed as well as comfortably seated, with his/her arm well supported. However, in some especial cases patients are allowed to lay on an examination couch during the measurement of his/her blood pressure. The steps in measuring blood pressure are as follows:
1.A cuff that inflates is wrapped around the upper arm and then it is kept in place by a Velcro and there is a tube that leads out of the inflatable cuff to a rubber bulb. This rubber bulb is the one used to inflate the cuffs.
2.There is another tube that leads from the cuff to a reservoir of mercury located at the bottom of a vertical glass column. The pressure placed in the cuff is shown in the mercury column. The mercury is used to show the measurement of the blood pressure that is why it is kept within a sealed system.
3.Air is then pumped into the cuff thus increasing pressure and then you will feel the cuffs tightening around your upper arm.
4.The doctor will then put his stethoscope on your arm and then listens to your pulse while slowly releasing the air from the cuff.
5.The systolic pressure is measured by your doctor when he hears the first pulse; this sound of your pulse will slowly fade and then disappears.
6.On the other hand, the diastolic is measured starting from the moment your doctor is unable to hear the sound of your pulse.
7.All these are measured in terms of millimeters of mercury or mmHg.
In addition, there are still some other ways of measuring the blood pressure and this is by means of an automatic blood pressure gauge which can be conveniently used at home. These electronic blood pressure measuring devices are slowly replacing the usual mercury blood pressure measuring tool since mercury was found to have hazardous effect in nature. Aside from that, these electronic blood pressure measuring devices are also effective as well as efficient in giving accurate blood pressure measurements and above all, it eliminates the errors in blood pressure measurement committed by humans.
What we need to know about blood pressure?
Blood pressure becomes a big deal especially when one is getting old. However, just what is blood pressure? Blood pressure is the force of the blood pushing against the walls of the arteries. Did you know that each time your heart beats about 60-70 times a minute it pumps out blood into the arteries, which is much well known as the systolic pressure. Furthermore, when the heart is at rest between beats your blood pressure falls, which is generally known as the diastolic pressure. Blood pressure is always read in two numbers and these are the systolic and diastolic pressures. A blood pressure reading is not complete without either of the two. The systolic pressure is the first written on the top or the top number while the diastolic pressure is the second number or the bottom number an example of which is a blood pressure reading of 120/80, or it may also be read as 120 over 80. Every person has different blood pressure to some a blood pressure that is 120/80 may mean normal while to others this same blood pressure may already mean high blood pressure to them.
The danger of high blood pressure in pregnant women
There have been many articles written about the danger of high blood pressure in pregnant women and although my article may not present an entirely new concept I still hope that this article of mine will be able to help in providing further awareness especially among expecting mothers on the danger brought about by high blood pressure.
