Why Is Measuring Blood Pressure Important? By Paul J Johnson At Isnare.com Ezine Articles

Our lives have become fuller and fuller, and the temptations of modern convenience living has taken its toll on many millions of people in industrialized nations with high blood pressure growing year on year. It is also a sad truth that many people are unaware that they are suffering with high blood pressure. The good news is that there are methods for measuring high blood pressure, which can either be carried out by a professional or at home using a home monitor.

It is recommended that everyone have their blood pressure checked regularly, but especially those that fall into the following categories:

- Aged over 35
- Have a history, or a family history of high blood pressure
- Have a history of kidney or heart problems
- Pregnant women.

The two most common ways of measuring blood pressure are either using a sphygmomanometer or an automatic machine. Below we will take a closer look at how to use a sphygmomanometer and an automatic machine.

1. Sphygmomanometer

This is one of the oldest pieces of equipment to be used for measuring blood pressure, using a column of mercury (encased in a glass tube). This is a piece of equipment you will regularly see sat on your doctor's desk, or sometimes in the corner of the room gathering dust.

It works by a cuff being wrapped around the person's arm (usually half way between the shoulder and elbow joints). This is then pumped fully of air until it begins to constrict the arm and the arteries in the arm. Your doctor will then take a stethoscope and place this in the crook of the elbow to listen for the sound of blood going through the constricted arteries and as these sounds are heard they will start to take a reading on the mercury column. By doing this they are able to provide not just themselves but you with an accurate reading of your blood pressure level.

2. Automatic Machines

As with the sphygmomanometer a cuff is placed around the arm, but instead of the cuff being pumped with air by hand the machine does it automatically and listens to the sounds at the same time. It will then provide you with a read out which is normally displayed on a small screen on the front of the machine as to what your blood pressure is.

The great thing about using an automatic machine for measuring high blood pressure levels is that you can do it all from the convenience of your own home. This can be beneficial for those who suffer with anxiety, or are to ill to go the doctor.

Generally normal blood pressure would be considered as anything below 120/80. The lower the blood pressure the better, unless a person suffers from low blood pressure which can sometime lead to complications.

A person is Prehypertentive is when the blood pressure is above normal levels but not high enough to be considered as high blood pressure, this is within the range of between 120 and 139 for the top number, or between 80 and 89 for the bottom number. The risk of having high blood pressure later is increased if a person is diagnosed with prehypertension unless action is taken to reduce blood pressure.

High blood pressure is when someone has a reading of 140/90 mmHg or higher, although both numbers are important and there will be concern if either the upper or lower numbers reach these figures.

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