Blood Pressure

Many people take their own blood pressure using various devices called “sphygs,” or sphygmomanometers. But even the best apparatus only provides a general measure of blood pressure. The standard routine is to take the blood pressure in the left arm while sitting with feet on the floor.

The standard numbers, 120/80, relate to the pressures exerted on the walls of the arteries. It is measured as millimeters of mercury (mmHg), with the mercury devices being more accurate than other types (although today’s units are usually not mercury-based but electronic/digital). The first number (120 in this example) is the systolic pressure and relates to the pressure in which the heart and vessels contract. The second number (80), the diastolic pressure, shows the pressure at which the heart and vessels relax.

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An athlete’s blood pressure is always changing, and 120/80 shouldn’t be seen as the normal number, with anything above considered abnormal. Nor should we think that lower is better when it comes to blood pressure. Pressures that are too high or too low can be unhealthy, and there’s a fairly wide range of normal in most individuals.