What is a blood pressure test?

A blood pressure test is a simple way of checking to see if your blood pressure is too high, or too low. The test itself will give you an indication of what your blood pressure reading is. This reading will help you understand what exactly are the next steps to take if there is a high or a low reading.

Have your blood pressure monitored

At Gleeson's Pharmacy Tuam, we offer free blood pressure monitoring. Our team are happy to speak with you, choose a date and time that suits you, and carry out the monitoring safely and privately in our private consultation room onsite.

Walk-in Service

What to expect during a blood pressure test?

A blood pressure test is a routine check of your blood pressure. The test itself takes about 2-minutes and is very straightforward.

When you get a blood pressure test with us, you will:

  • Speak to a member of staff
  • Be greeted and brought to our private consultation room
  • You can then sit down and relax, and we will prepare the blood pressure monitor
  • We will attach the 'cuff' to your arm
  • To get a reading, the cuff will inflate, and this will measure the flow of the blood through the arteries
  • Once read, the cuff will deflate, and we should have your blood pressure reading!

It really is that simple! We will then give you your reading and provide advise on next steps, if necessary.

What does your reading mean?

Now that you have your reading, what does this mean for you?

The normal level of blood pressure is usually about 120 (systolic) over 80 (diastolic). Which will read as "120/80".

Alternatively, your blood pressure could be high or low.

Let's look at this more below.

High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure (also known as hypertension) can put a strain on your arteries and organs. This strain is caused due to the force of the blood pushing against the artery walls being too high. This forces the heart to work harder to pump blood around the body.

This high blood pressure in turn can increase your risk of developing heart problems, like heart attack, stroke, and other problems.

However, this can be prevented and treated by:

  • Not smoking
  • Regular exercise
  • Eating well
  • Medication

If you get a high blood pressure reading with us, we will advise you speak to a doctor.

High & Low Blood Pressure

  • High Blood Pressure

    High blood pressure (also known as hypertension) can put a strain on your arteries and organs. In general, hypertension is a blood pressure reading of 130/80mm Hgor higher.

    This strain is caused due to the force of the blood pushing against the artery walls being too high. This forces the heart to work harder to pump blood around the body.

    This high blood pressure in turn can increase your risk of developing heart problems, like heart attack, stroke, and other problems.

    However, this can be prevented and treated by:

    • Not smoking
    • Regular exercise
    • Eating well
    • Medication

    If you get a high blood pressure reading with us, we will advise you speak to a doctor.

  • Low Blood Pressure

    Low blood pressure is a (also know as hypotension) measurement of 90/60mmHg or lower. Low blood pressure is tricky to pinpoint, because what may be very low for one person, may be fine for another.

    The symptoms of low blood pressure would be:

    • Dizziness
    • Fainting
    • Blurred vision
    • Feeling weak

    Treatment for low blood pressure depends on the cause, so in this instance, if you do believe you have low blood pressure you should consult your GP or your doctor for more information.

Walk-in Blood Pressure Monitoring Tuam

If you want to get your blood pressure test done, feel free to call in to us in Gleeson's Pharmacy - we do this on a walk-in basis.

Just speak to our team in-store and we will be happy to take care of you.

We look forward to seeing you - stay healthy!❤️