A Blood Pressure Log Is Essential

A check with both the regular Webster’s and a scientific dictionary says that a log and a chart have different meanings although we have a tendency to use them interchangeably. A log means mostly that something be written down in an appropriate page or journal. A chart suggests some sort of picture or graph. To me both a log and a graph are nice as you can write down the numbers in a log and then insert them in a graph at your leisure. Thus you have the numbers for perusing and averaging and a physical depiction (graph). You can see at a glance how you are doing. Don’t forget to write down (log) your numbers immediately as it is very easy to forget.

Why Have a Blood Pressure Log?

Because unless you are one of those people who memorize telephone books you will forget. Normally you will take several readings and by the time you take the second reading it is confused with the first. So write down each reading immediately.

Why take several readings? Often the second reading is lower and thus the truer one. Sometimes the second one is higher, so then what do you do? I think that the lowest one is the truest one because almost all the factors that throw the reading off make it higher.

What Your Numbers Mean

Here is the official chart showing the classifications of blood pressure readings. If you are not taking your own readings check out my page on how and why at How to Take Blood Pressure

Blood Pressure Classification

Systolic	Diastolic	Class
115	75	Desirable
120-139	80-89	Prehypertension
140-159	90-99	Hypertension Stage 1
160 or over	100 or over	Hypertension Stage 2

Blood Pressure Log

Here is a typical blood pressure log made from a table. If you are computer savvy just make it anyway you like. If you are not computer savvy, get in your word processor and click on the table icon and follow directions and I'll bet you can do it. (I did.) Use 32 rows, one for your heading and 31 for the days of the month.

Blood Pressure Log

Date and Time	Reading	Comment
5/3/06,10;15AM	118/78	Sitting porch
5/4/06,2:30 PM	122/74	After nap
5/8/06, 8:30 PM	130/82	Tired

Next you could jump over to the page Blood Pressure Chart and consider a step up to graphing.