One in every four adults in the U.S. has high blood pressure--as many as 73 million people--placing them at risk for heart disease and stroke. However, according to the National Stroke Association, nearly a third of all those with high blood pressure--31.6 percent--are not even aware they have it. Creating a chart to monitor your blood pressure is an excellent step toward taking control of your cardiovascular health.
Step 1
Place a sheet of graph paper before you in landscape format--that is, widest side-to-side. Using a ruler and regular pencil, draw a horizontal line across the paper 1 inch from the top edge and another horizontal line halfway down the sheet of paper. There are now three rows: a narrow row at the top, and two wide rows. Draw a vertical line 1 inch from the left edge of the paper to create a column.
Step 2
Refer to your history of recent blood pressure readings and write the date of each reading across the top row, one date per square, beginning to the right of the left-hand column; skip one square between each date. After all dates have been recorded, proceed by writing in the dates of future anticipated readings. For example, if you record your blood pressure daily, write each day's date across the top of the sheet.
Step 3
Write "Systolic" to the left of the vertical line at the the first wide row and "Diastolic" at the second wide row. These two wide rows represent the systolic and diastolic aspects of a blood pressure reading.
Step 4
Write the following values from top to bottom in the systolic column: 155, 150, 145, 140, 135, 130, 125, 120, 115, 110, 105, 100 and 95. Write the following values in the diastolic column: 110, 105, 100, 95, 90, 85, 80, 75, 70, 65, 60, 55 and 50. If your history of blood pressure readings indicates that your systolic or diastolic blood pressure values are outside of these ranges, adjust the numbers to include your values.
Step 5
Use the red pencil to draw horizontal lines across the squares under "Systolic" marked "120" and under "Diastolic" marked "80." The American Heart Association considers normal blood pressure to be less than 120 over 80, and the red line will highlight blood pressure readings that are outside this range.
Step 6
Refer to your history of recent blood pressure readings and plot each reading under the applicable date. Trace a line down from the date to the appropriate systolic value and mark that square with a pencil; repeat for the diastolic value. Connect the systolic values for the first reading with the second reading, the second reading with the third reading, and so on, with pencil lines; repeat for the diastolic values. This will provide a visual representation of the overall status of your blood pressure readings.
Tips and Warnings
- If you notice three or more successive readings that are higher than the normal range of 120 over 80, schedule an appointment with your health care provider. She may advise changes in your diet or exercise patterns or prescribe medication to control your blood pressure.
Things You'll Need
- Graph paper
- Ruler
- Regular pencil
- Red pencil
- History of recent blood pressure readings
