Monitoring Your Blood Pressure

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I recently stopped taking beta blockers after a consultation with my Doctor. Seven weeks on and I feel substantially better without them. I strongly advocate prescription reviews, as often the medication you’re taking does not necessarily need to be taken indefinitely. That was certainly the case with me and beta blockers. At the end of my last consultation, my GP asked me to keep a daily record of my blood pressure for a month. I could either do this at home or come into the surgery where there is a suitable device that is free to use. Fortunately I inherited an old but functional OMRON blood pressure monitor from my parents, so I was able to take readings each morning myself. It was while doing this for a month that it struck me; what exactly does all the data that I’m making note of mean exactly? What do systolic and diastolic mean and what is the difference between them? Also, where my readings good or bad?

Blood pressure readings consist of two numbers. The top number is conventionally denoted as the systolic pressure. This is the peak pressure exerted during a single cardiac contraction. The second number, the diastolic pressure, is the minimal pressure occurring between successive heartbeats throughout the cardiac cycle. This measurement is quantified in millimetres of mercury (mmHg) relative to ambient atmospheric pressure, or alternatively expressed in kilopascals (kPa). The numerical difference separating systolic and diastolic pressures is termed pulse pressure, whereas the average pressure maintained throughout the cardiac cycle is referred to as mean arterial pressure. To put this more simply, systolic measures the force when your heart beats and pushes blood out to your body. Diastolic measures the force in your arteries when your heart rests between beats. The numbers are usually present as systolic over diastolic.

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Now to the tricky part. What are considered good and bad readings. This is tempered by a lot of factors. For example, your diet, lifestyle and weight along with your medical history are all factors that have an impact upon the readings. If you’re on specific medication that too can skew the numbers somewhat. Then there are things specific to when and where you have your blood pressure readings taken. If you’ve been active or are under stress, or your busting to go to the toilet, then these can have an affect. However, with all that in mind, an ideal and optimal reading would be less than 120/80 mmHg. In reality the average and therefore considered normal figures are 120–129/80–84 mmHg. If your readings are around 130–139/85–89 mmHg, then that is deemed to be high. Readings over 140/90 mmHg are considered an indicator of hypertension. This happens when blood pushes too hard against your artery walls as your heart pumps and is bad.

My own readings for the month began high but quickly became average. There were a few days when it was high but these occurred when I returned after an early morning walk. Now that I have a broader understanding of this data it has put my mind at rest. Often the medical community will ask for information without qualifying why they need it and what the information tells them. I find it does no harm to politely ask for an explanation. It is your health after all. More often than not, my GP or the nurse at the surgery will happily tell me an answer in layman’s terms. I returned my blood pressure reading sheet to the local surgery today. I have already been notified via the NHS app on my phone that there is nothing anomalous thus nothing to worry about. This is good news but I’m glad I took time out to learn what the data all means. Always ask questions when it comes to your health. Consulting a doctor is a joint process and shouldn’t be a one sided conversation.