Measuring blood pressure
Without any instruments, it is difficult to detect high blood pressure, which has been called ‘the silent killer’.You are very unlikely to know that you have high blood pressure as it does not have any obvious symptoms. Many patients become aware that they are suffering from this ailment only during a routine medical checkup or when they suffer from a stroke or related condition.
A sphygmomanometer is used for measuring blood pressure and electronic versions of this instrument are also available to measure blood pressure with greater accuracy. The low blood pressure symptoms are more obvious, the patients feel dizzy when he or she gets up quickly.
An approximate way of measuring high blood pressure is to count the number of beats your heart has in a minute. The normal rate is from 80 to 90 per minute. Some senior and experienced doctors can accurately guess a person’s blood pressure by feeling their pulses, based on rate, depth and other factors. However, the blood pressure varies depending on the physical and mental condition of the patient, a person who is under stress or excited is more likely to have high blood pressure readings. The blood pressure of the same person is likely to be much lower, when he or she is relaxing.