Know Your Numbers! Week

[hookooekoo]

Know Your Numbers! Week is the UK's biggest blood pressure testing and awareness event.​

5-11 September 2022

Blood Pressure UK

​

 

[hookooekoo]

After a bit of rummaging in the back of my wardrobe, I found the Sanitas blood pressure monitor I bought from Lidl Middle Aisle a few years ago.

Blood pressure: 99/66
Resting heart rate: 54

 

[grey-beard]

I've never understood blood pressure and I can't remember ever having it taken? Is that normal? According to my watch,my resting heart rate is 55bpm? Should I get my pressure checked?

 

[hookooekoo]

I've never understood blood pressure and I can't remember ever having it taken?

Blood pressure measurement is just the maximum and minimum pressures in your circulation system. High blood pressures are a sign of poor health and increased morbidity, because the heart is having to work much harder.

My little machine inflates a cuff around my wrist, and then slowly deflates it while detecting the small pressure pulses that occur in the cuff with each heartbeat. I think the systolic pressure (maximum blood pressure) is the cuff pressure when it first detects a small pressure pulse from my heartbeat, and the diastolic pressure (minimum blood pressure) is the lowest cuff pressure that it is still able to detect small pressure pulses from my heartbeat.

Is that normal? According to my watch,my resting heart rate is 55bpm? Should I get my pressure checked?

Some GP surgeries are testing everyone over 40 at least every 5 years as part of a health check.

NHS Health Check

The NHS Health Check is a health check-up for adults in England aged 40 to 74.

www.nhs.uk

Unfortunately the link below doesn't list individual locations. I'd guess it's probably advertised in the local press if they're doing it in your area.

Blood Pressure UK

A resting heart rate of 55 is very respectable and suggests a high level of fitness.

 

[hookooekoo]

Well, I'm flattered by this table! I'm fairly sure I'm not an athlete! And I've been feeling a bit guilty recently about not exercising enough!

Good Resting Heart Rate Chart (Reference Table) - Sports Science .co

If you know your resting heart rate but don't know how it stacks up, then this article is for you. If you don't know your heart rate, then a will do the

www.sportsscience.co

 

[grey-beard]

Wow, I'm an athlete too. Cool.
Apparently, there is a health check for men over a certain age, was it 40? I was living abroad at the time and have never been asked to attend since returning to the UK.

 

[hookooekoo]

Apparently, there is a health check for men over a certain age, was it 40? I was living abroad at the time and have never been asked to attend since returning to the UK.

It probably depends where you live, and how pro-active your local NHS management and GP surgery are at promoting and doing the health check ups.

 

[Mickeyspinn]

Last time I had all that done guys jaw dropped and walked out to get another nurse in to check he was doing things right....scored a 51 BPM...get in!

 

[Gtpulse]

Hmph still 119/75 and 70bpm distinctly average and normal!

I bought a blood pressure monitor about 10 years back when I had a bout of stress. It was to convince myself that I wasn’t about to die of a heart attack - the symptoms of which were due to stress, kind of a vicious circle!

 

[hookooekoo]

I think a more realistic resting heart rate for elite level endurance athletes is around 30-45 bpm.

For example, Greg Lemond's resting heart rate was reportedly around 30 bpm.

But elite level endurance athletes are not at all representative of the general population. They are extreme outliers, and their athletic performance owes a lot to the genetic lottery.