Measuring your blood pressure takes a few minutes. It can give you years of life.
I am a GP. I have very little time to talk with my patients even about important things. Things as important as blood pressure. But wait... just how important is blood pressure, actually?
Some time ago I asked my AI assistant to find and rank medical interventions with the biggest impact on our lifespan. The result was:
• vaccinations
• introduction of antibiotics
• perinatal asepsis
• control of blood pressure
• blood transfusions
...
Each 10 mmHg reduction in systolic blood pressure decreases the risk of cardiovascular mortality by 20% and the risk of stroke by 27%. Intensive therapy (target <120 mmHg) reduces all-cause mortality by 27%. Meanwhile, 30–50% of people with hypertension are unaware of their condition, and among those receiving treatment, only about half have well-controlled blood pressure.
This project aims to encourage regular self-monitoring of blood pressure and to facilitate reporting of results to your GP / family doctor. Many people, despite performing home measurements, are unable to interpret them correctly or feel uncomfortable repeatedly bringing them to their doctor.
How it works:
You measure your blood pressure at home and enter the readings here. Once you've collected 10 readings, the system sends you — and optionally your GP — the full dataset.
Simple.
If you don't want to use it, no problem — I'll still be happy if you just remember how important blood pressure is.
BTW: if the website occasionally breaks, please try again the next day. It's maintained by a busy doctor clicking after midnight.
Some time ago I asked my AI assistant to find and rank medical interventions with the biggest impact on our lifespan. The result was:
• vaccinations
• introduction of antibiotics
• perinatal asepsis
• control of blood pressure
• blood transfusions
...
Each 10 mmHg reduction in systolic blood pressure decreases the risk of cardiovascular mortality by 20% and the risk of stroke by 27%. Intensive therapy (target <120 mmHg) reduces all-cause mortality by 27%. Meanwhile, 30–50% of people with hypertension are unaware of their condition, and among those receiving treatment, only about half have well-controlled blood pressure.
This project aims to encourage regular self-monitoring of blood pressure and to facilitate reporting of results to your GP / family doctor. Many people, despite performing home measurements, are unable to interpret them correctly or feel uncomfortable repeatedly bringing them to their doctor.
How it works:
You measure your blood pressure at home and enter the readings here. Once you've collected 10 readings, the system sends you — and optionally your GP — the full dataset.
Simple.
If you don't want to use it, no problem — I'll still be happy if you just remember how important blood pressure is.
BTW: if the website occasionally breaks, please try again the next day. It's maintained by a busy doctor clicking after midnight.
How to measure blood pressure correctly
BEFORE MEASUREMENT:
• No caffeine, smoking, or exercise for 30 minutes
• Empty your bladder
• 5 minutes of quiet rest, sitting down
DURING MEASUREMENT:
• Back supported (against a chair!)
• Feet flat on the floor, do NOT cross your legs
• Arm on an armrest, cuff at heart level
• Cuff on bare arm (not over clothing!)
• Correct cuff size
• Do NOT talk
AFTER MEASUREMENT:
• Take 3 readings, 1–2 minutes apart
• Average the last 2 readings
ERRORS THAT FALSIFY RESULTS:
❌ Full bladder: +10–15 mmHg
❌ Talking: +5–10 mmHg
❌ Crossed legs: +5–8 mmHg
❌ Unsupported back: +5–10 mmHg
❌ Arm below heart: +5–10 mmHg
❌ Cuff too small: +10–15 mmHg!
• No caffeine, smoking, or exercise for 30 minutes
• Empty your bladder
• 5 minutes of quiet rest, sitting down
DURING MEASUREMENT:
• Back supported (against a chair!)
• Feet flat on the floor, do NOT cross your legs
• Arm on an armrest, cuff at heart level
• Cuff on bare arm (not over clothing!)
• Correct cuff size
• Do NOT talk
AFTER MEASUREMENT:
• Take 3 readings, 1–2 minutes apart
• Average the last 2 readings
ERRORS THAT FALSIFY RESULTS:
❌ Full bladder: +10–15 mmHg
❌ Talking: +5–10 mmHg
❌ Crossed legs: +5–8 mmHg
❌ Unsupported back: +5–10 mmHg
❌ Arm below heart: +5–10 mmHg
❌ Cuff too small: +10–15 mmHg!
How is your blood pressure today?
If you wish, enter your details and today's blood pressure reading below (please do not add more than 2 readings per day). After every 10 readings, I will send you an email with a summary that you can discuss with your GP. Optionally, I can also send your readings directly to your doctor.
What else is important — perhaps most important...
Factors determining average life expectancy in a population:
Medical care (10–15%): access to doctors, hospitals, medication, diagnostic tests, vaccinations
Genetics (20%): hereditary predispositions, family history of disease, genetic mutations
Social & environmental factors (30%): education, wealth, neighbourhood safety, social support, air & water quality
Lifestyle (40%): obesity, smoking, physical inactivity, excess alcohol, poor diet, insufficient sleep
While medical care matters greatly for an ill person, health is primarily in our own hands!
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