The following numbers should only be used as a guide:

Your doctor will explain what your ideal blood pressure is based on a range of factors, including your overall health. What is considered a healthy blood pressure varies from person to person. See this list of devices that have been approved by the British and Irish Hypertension Society.

If so, then buy a device that measures blood pressure accurately. If you are considering buying a blood pressure device to use at home, it is best to speak to your doctor to see if this is needed. Your doctor will organise this service if required. This is also known as 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring and it involves measuring your blood pressure at regular intervals (usually every 20-30 minutes), while you do your usual activities including sleeping. Your doctor may recommend that you have your blood pressure recorded at home with a monitoring device. If a reading is high, your doctor may measure your blood pressure again on several separate occasions before diagnosing high blood pressure. Your blood pressure changes to meet your body’s needs.

This cuff is part of a machine called a sphygmomanometer. Blood pressure is usually measured with an inflatable pressure cuff that wraps around your upper arm. It is best to measure blood pressure when you are relaxed and sitting. Both are measured in units called millimetres of mercury (mmHg). This is called the diastolic blood pressure. The lower number is the pressure as the heart relaxes before the next beat. This is called the systolic blood pressure.

The larger number is the pressure in the arteries as the heart pumps out blood during each beat. What blood pressure numbers meanīlood pressure is recorded as two numbers, such as 120/80. The medical name for low blood pressure is hypotension. The medical name for high blood pressure is hypertension. If blood pressure remains high over a long period of time, it can lead to a heart attack, stroke, heart failure or kidney disease. It is affected by various factors, including body position, breathing, emotional state, exercise and sleep. It changes to meet your body’s needs and it is normal for your blood pressure to go up and down throughout the day. Blood pressure does not stay the same all the time. Blood pressure is the pressure of blood on the walls of your arteries as your heart pumps blood around your body.

Blood pressure tracking chart template