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Blood Pressure
What is blood pressure?
Blood pressure is the term used to describe the strength with which your blood pushes on the sides of your arteries as it’s pumped around your body.
Blood pressure is measured using two numbers;
- Systolic pressure. This is the higher of the two numbers. It’s the pressure against your arteries when your heart is pumping blood around your body.
- Diastolic pressure. This is the lower of the two numbers. It shows how much pressure is in your arteries when your heart relaxes between beats.
Low blood pressure (hypotension) is not usually a problem, although it can cause dizziness and fainting in some people.
High blood pressure (hypertension) can increase your risk of developing serious problems, such as heart attacks and strokes, if it’s not treated.
Blood pressure monitoring
If your GP or other healthcare professional suspects a raised blood pressure you may be asked to monitor your blood pressure. Some people experience raised blood pressure readings in a healthcare setting, such as in a GP’s consulting room, due to anxiety.
For this reason we ask you to monitor your blood pressure in your own home in an environment you are comfortable with.
You’ll need to measure your blood pressure twice in the morning and twice in the evening for 7 days, recording only the lowest of the two readings from each morning and only the lowest of the two readings from each evening. For example, if you took two readings on a morning measuring 100/70 and 90/60, you would record 90/60.
You can be provided with a blood pressure monitoring device if you do not have your own or the Littlehampton Library also lend them out.