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Blood Pressure (BP)

Your blood pressure (BP) is a measurement of the pressure of your circulating blood against the walls of your blood vessels. It's typically measured when you are in a resting state, using a monitor (known as a sphygmomanometer) with a cuff that attaches to your upper arm. In some cases patients may have their ambulatory blood pressure taken at regular intervals over a full 24hrs. Different types of monitors are also available.

Two things are measured by a monitor;

  • the systolic pressure - the maximum pressure when the heart is contracted (beating) and pumping blood around the body
  • the diastolic pressure - the minimum pressure when the heart is relaxed and filling with blood (in other words, the time between beats)

Both measurements are usually measured in millimetres of mercury, usually abbreviated to mmHg; which refers to early measurement methods rarely used today. The measurements are expressed together as systolic pressure over diastolic pressure, for example: 110mmHg/72mmHg, or more simply as 110/72.

The UK's reference ranges for blood pressure are as follows;

Systolic

  • normal:
  • elevated:
  • high:

Diastolic

Some good info here: https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2025/oct/19/the-blood-pressure-secret-everything-you-need-to-know-to-improve-yours-and-live-a-longer-healthier-life

Monitors (Sphygmomanometers)

If you'd like (or have been instructed by a medical professional) to measure your own blood pressure on a regular basis, there are a multitude of blood pressure monitor (technical name: sphygmomanometer) options to choose from;

  • arm cuff monitors are the traditional design that you'll most commonly see a (non-emergency) medical professional use and what you'll usually find available in an everyday pharmacy. These consist of a cuff that is secured around your upper arm with a tube attached, the other end of which is attached to a small powered box which inflates the cuff and has a screen which will display your blood pressure readings and also your heart rate.
  • wrist cuff monitors instead have a cuff that that is placed (unsurprisingly) around your wrist and a directly attached, powered box to inflate the cuff and display readings, negating the need for a tube.
  • wrist band continuous monitors are completely different and comprise of a small band worn on the wrist (like a fitness tracker) which use light beams and optical sensors to measure your blood pressure multiple times a day. This is paired with a smartphone and app which displays the data to the user.

Whatever type you may decide to purchase, ensure it meets the ISO 81060-2 standard, which defines accuracy requirements for blood pressure monitors used in the general population.

If you're in the UK and can't afford your own monitor, every GP surgery in the country has a device (with a wrist cuff monitor) available that you can use. It'll also measure your weight and height and calculate your BMI.

Arm Cuff

Wrist Cuff

Omron wrist jobbies on amazon

Wrist Band

Real time monitoring: https://hilo.com/uk

Measuring Your Blood Pressure

Both arms, twice

Arm relaxed and at heart height. Be sat.

Salt. Potassium, electrolytes.

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