How to identify symptoms of high blood pressure or low

Pressure jumps are an alarming symptom, indicating the presence of diseases of various organs and systems. To monitor the state of this indicator, a special device is used - a tonometer. The most accurate are mechanical blood pressure monitors, consisting of a cuff, a pressure gauge, an air blower and a stethoscope. However, people suffered from hypotension and hypertension long before the invention of the tonometer, so methods for measuring pressure that do not require this device have also come down to our days. They are convenient to use when there is no medical kit at hand, or when the disease suddenly manifested itself for the first time. However, before searching the Internet for how to measure pressure without a tonometer, you first need to determine the symptoms that indicate the presence of this problem. The field of this must be specified whether the pressure is increased or decreased.

Symptoms of high and low blood pressure and their causes

Normally, a person's pressure is approximately 120 to 80 mm Hg, with the possibility of fluctuations by 10-20 units. If this is a child of the preschool period, then for him the norm is lower - 100 to 60 mm Hg. Art. In older people, normal pressure indicators are shifted upwards - 140 to 90 mm Hg. Art. Deviation from the normal threshold upwards by 10-15 units indicates increased blood pressure (blood pressure), and downwards - about reduced. During the day, the pressure can also rise sharply, and then decrease.

1. Headache: with hypertension, there is a painful pulsation in the temples; with hypotension - pain aching and pressing in the occipital part of the head.
2. Dizziness: manifests itself with low blood pressure, with increased blood pressure it manifests itself, but not in all cases.
3. Weakness: characteristic symptom of hypotension; does not appear in hypertension.
4. Changes in complexion: pale with hypotension; reddens with hypertension (or does not change).
5. Excited nervous state: characteristic of hypertension; does not occur with hypotension.
6. Drowsiness: in all cases with hypotension; extremely rare in hypertension.
7. Palpitations: strong palpitations and pulse with hypertension; weak in hypotension.
8. Bleeding from the nose: characteristic of hypertension; does not appear in hypotension.
9. Nausea and vomiting: recurrent in hypertension; occurs once in hypotension.
10. Loss of consciousness: occurs with both high and low blood pressure.
11. In some cases, an increase in pressure can lead to an increase in body temperature.

The causes of changes in blood pressure can be both pathological and temporary factors (those that do not critically affect health in the future).

In the first case, these are: diseases of the stomach and urinary system; spinal curvature and osteochondrosis; special physiology, in which well-being depends on weather conditions; overweight and hormonal surges. In the second case, pressure drops are caused by stress, lack of sleep, caffeine abuse, taking certain medications, as well as physical inactivity or, conversely, excessively strenuous physical activity. An increase in blood pressure can also be caused by the presence of bad habits: smoking and alcohol abuse.

Methods for measuring pressure without a tonometer

After determining the symptoms, it is necessary to start measuring the pressure to establish an accurate diagnosis. But how to measure pressure without a tonometer if it suddenly was not at hand?

1. Measuring pressure with a pulse.
2. Measurement with a pendulum.

The first method is the most accurate and efficient, and does not require the use of any additional items. Before taking measurements, remove all accessories (watches, bracelets, rings, etc.) from your hands and take a comfortable position. Then, with the index finger of one hand, feel for a pulse in the area of ​​\u200b\u200bthe wrist of the other hand. This is where the radial artery is located. Within 30 seconds you need to count the pulse beats. Normally, the result can vary from 60 to 80 strokes. An increase in these indicators by more than 10 units indicates hypertension in the event of an increase and hypotension in the event of a decrease. How to determine the pressure by the pulse if it cannot be felt on the wrist?

• anterolateral surface of the neck immediately below the angle of the jaw;
• femoral artery in the groin;
• the inner part of the elbow bend;
• inner side of the knee.

The order of measurements is as follows:

1. One end of the thread is tied on the ring, and the other end remains free.
2. After you need to sit in a comfortable position, put your forearm on a hard surface and place a ruler on your hand. The beginning of the scale should be at the elbow bend.
3. With the other hand, the pendulum is taken by the free end and brought as low as possible (without touching the ruler) above the beginning of the scale. After that, you need to wait a couple of seconds until the oscillations of the pendulum calm down.
4. The pendulum is carried from the elbow to the beginning of the hand. It is necessary to monitor the oscillatory movements of the pendulum: after passing a certain distance, it will begin to deviate in different directions across the plane of the ruler.
5. The place where the pendulum began to oscillate is fixed, and the measurement result is taken from the ruler. To calculate the upper (systolic) blood pressure, the resulting number must be multiplied by 100. For example, if the pendulum began to deviate from its axis above the number 12, then the upper pressure will be 120.
6. To measure the lower (diastolic) pressure, the ruler is turned over and placed with the end to the beginning of the brush. The beginning of the scale is now on the first transverse fold of the skin near the hand.
7. The measurement is carried out in a similar way, but the pendulum is carried out in the direction from the hand to the cubital fossa. The number over which the pendulum began to swing, multiplied by 100, shows the lower blood pressure.

It should be remembered that measurements by the methods described above should be carried out alternately with each hand. This is a necessary condition for improving the accuracy of measurements and reducing the error during the procedure. After measuring the indicators on both hands, you need to compare the results and check that the difference between them does not exceed 10 units.

The listed methods can be effective, but despite this, none of the doctors recommends using them as a replacement for a tonometer due to the high error of such types of measurements. This is especially true for people suffering from chronic hypertension or hypotension, for whom it is very important to regularly check the pressure with maximum accuracy. Therefore, measuring blood pressure with a pulse or pendulum is recommended only when other measurement options are not possible.

Methods for lowering and increasing blood pressure

If during the measurement of pressure it turned out that it was pathologically low or reduced, then a set of actions must be taken to correct this problem.

1. Breathing exercises help bring high blood pressure back to normal. To do this, within a few minutes you need to take a deep breath and exhale, taking a comfortable position. This contributes to the normalization of intracranial pressure.
2. Stabilize the low pressure of cardio training. You can do a little exercise, which was taught to everyone back in school. A short walk outside or a run around the house can also help.
3. Some foods have a blood pressure lowering or blood pressure boosting effect. For people suffering from low blood pressure, it is useful to drink a couple of cups of coffee or strong black tea a day. Eleutherococcus or ginseng tinctures can replace these drinks. For hypertensive patients, it is useful to keep green tea and lemon in the kitchen. The combination of these two products perfectly lowers blood pressure. You can also take tinctures of hawthorn and motherwort.

Most people uncontrollably resort to medication, but this is far from the best option. The fact is that drugs have a very powerful effect, and if they are taken without medical supervision, the situation can be significantly worsened by critically lowering or increasing blood pressure.

The listed methods can help, but only if the problem has not developed into a chronic phase. For people who suffer from low or high blood pressure, the best option would be to see a doctor for qualified medical care. But first of all, to carry out the prevention of the disease, without waiting for the onset of a deterioration in health.

As you know, the main cause of the pathological level of blood pressure is the unsatisfactory condition of the vessels, provoked by bad habits, a sedentary lifestyle and malnutrition. To avoid this, you need to give up smoking and alcohol abuse, as well as excessively fatty, fried and salty foods. Also, do not oversleep or, conversely, neglect sleep. It would be useful to include a little physical activity in your lifestyle - go to the gym at least 3 times a week and do a little warm-up every morning. To strengthen blood vessels, doctors recommend consuming a sufficient amount of foods containing large amounts of vitamins A, E and C: dairy foods, liver, orange vegetables and fruits, citrus fruits, foods high in vegetable fats. By adhering to these recommendations, you can protect yourself from the development of many diseases that are accompanied by critical levels of blood pressure. If you try to maintain health even before the stage of its deterioration, then there will be no need to measure pressure either with or without a tonometer.