Instruction manual

5
What Influences Blood Pressure?
Many factors such as genetics, age, sex, altitude, physical activity,
anxiety, muscular development, certain medications or even the time
of day can influence blood pressure. Influences such as sleep or
relaxation decreases blood pressure, while anxiety or exercise
increases blood pressure.
Why Monitor Your Blood Pressure at Home?
A visit to a physician’s office can be a stressful situation for a patient.
And, anxiety is a known factor in raising blood pressure. This
temporary occurrence of elevated blood pressure at the physician’s
office is commonly referred to as “white coat syndrome”.
Whether or not you experience “white coat syndrome”, home blood
pressure monitoring provides you with the opportunity to supplement
your physician’s office measurements. These home readings, when
taken over a period of time, can show an accurate indication of
change. Furthermore, your records can assist your physician in
evaluating your health and in making important decisions in the
diagnosis and treatment of your condition. Because of this, it is
important to take consistent, daily measurements of your blood
pressure.
The variations in your individual readings should only be interpreted
by your physician or a trained health care professional.
WHO Blood Pressure Classifications
Standards for assessment of high or low blood pressure, regardless
of age, have been established by the World Health Organization
(WHO) as shown in the chart on the following page.
General Blood Pressure Information
4
What is Blood Pressure?
Blood pressure is the pressure that is exerted by blood flowing against
the walls of the blood vessels throughout your body.
Your heart, which is the center of the circulatory system, provides the
force for the blood to flow or circulate. When your heart contracts or
beats, the blood is forced through the blood vessels increasing the
pressure. This is the highest pressure in the cycle or what is referred to
as SYSTOLIC BLOOD PRESSURE. In between beats, your heart relaxes
and your blood pressure decreases. This is referred to as DIASTOLIC
BLOOD PRESSURE.
This complete series of events which occurs in a single heartbeat is
known as the CARDIAC CYCLE.
Your Digital Blood Pressure Monitor will automatically read your blood
pressure and display both systolic and diastolic readings on the screen.
Your systolic will be positioned as the upper number and the
diastolic reading will be the lower number.
(systolic) 120
/80 (diastolic)
Blood pressure is measured in millimeters (mm) of Mercury (Hg) and is
generally recorded with the systolic pressure (120) listed first and the
diastolic pressure (80) listed second. The numbers are typically separat-
ed by a slash mark (/ ) as shown above.
Both pressure readings, the SYSTOLIC and the DIASTOLIC, are neces-
sary for a physician to evaluate the status of a patient’s blood pressure.
Please contact your physician for specific information regarding your own
blood pressure.