PP on a blood pressure monitor: what the third number means
Many monitors show a PP next to systolic and diastolic. It is not a third measurement but the gap between the two values – and that is ex...
Blood pressure
Blood pressure in the cold: why readings rise in winter
The vessels narrow, the pressure rises: in winter readings run measurably higher than in summer. How large the effect is – and what it me...
Blood pressure target range: why the time within it counts
Two people with the same average value can have had very different 24 hours. What 48,687 ambulatory measurements show about the course in...
Lowering blood pressure through breathing: what's behind it
Slow breathing acts on the circulation via the vagus nerve – the mechanism is well described. What this means for your blood pressure, wh...
Why your blood pressure at night matters more than during the day
At night, blood pressure should fall by 10 to 20 per cent. If this dip does not happen, cardiovascular risk rises – regardless of the day...
Sleep apnoea and high blood pressure: the overlooked connection
30 to 40 per cent of people with high blood pressure have obstructive sleep apnoea. In treatment-resistant high blood pressure the propor...
Measuring blood pressure without a device – is it possible?
Feeling your pulse, interpreting symptoms, smartphone apps without a cuff: why none of these methods gives a blood pressure reading – and...
When should you measure your blood pressure? The right schedule
In the morning before breakfast and in the evening before bed, twice each time, for seven days. Why these particular times – and why meas...
Measuring blood pressure: right or left arm? The clear answer
Both arms the first time, then always the one with the higher readings. And the difference between arms is itself a finding that many peo...
Blood pressure of 105 over 65: when you should act
A low reading alone is no reason to act. Four questions that clarify whether 105 over 65 is harmless for you or should be checked.
Blood pressure chart by age: what really applies
Charts with normal values that rise with age circulate everywhere – but they are not in the guidelines. What really applies in older age ...
Blood pressure of 100 over 70 in women: when low is too low
Low blood pressure without symptoms is not considered to need treatment. What matters is not the number, but whether symptoms occur – and...
Understand your blood pressure – a little more every week
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