Free Blood Pressure Charts (Version 2.1) for
One Month and Three Readings A Day
(Link for One Month, One BP Reading A Day)
(Link for One Month, Two BP Readings A Day)

See the instructions below  to record and automatically graph your own blood pressure and pulse rate (heart rate),
plus download your own Blood Pressure Tracker Form and the example.
(Also see the notes below for a link to the original Legacy Version 1.0 website and using OpenOffice.org spreadsheet "Calc.")

Download Blood Pressure Tracker Form For Your Own Data Entry

Download This BP Example

(Downloads are free for personal use but may not be sold.)

This version includes some additions and changes based on suggestions and comments by Laura Renfree from London, England; Michael Robichaud from Montreal, Canada; Margaret Dangoor from Richmond-upon-Thames, England; Neal Snitow; Ron Langbeckert from Astoria, Oregon, and Ed Winstead from Brevard, North Carolina.  I thank them for their contributions.

Instructions for entering and displaying your own blood pressure and pulse rate (heart rate) tracking data:

  1. Download and save the Blood Pressure Tracker Form from the link above.  (You are also encouraged to download the example.)

  2. Open the saved file in Microsoft Excel.  (The files are in Micosoft Excel 2007 .xlsx format.  However, earlier versions of Excel can read these files but may require a conversion addon available from Microsoft.
(See http://www.microsoft.com/downloads/en/details.aspx?FamilyId=941B3470-3AE9-4AEE-8F43-C6BB74CD1466&displaylang=en.)

  3. After taking your blood pressure, fill in the Systolic Pressure and Diastolic Pressure values into the appropriate columns in the "BP Data Sheet."  Also enter your pulse rate (heart rate) into the appropriate column.  (You may simply leave out the pulse rate values to omit them from the graphs.)

  4. The associated graphs will automatically update themselves (and automatically adjust their blood pressure scales, if necessary).

  5. Display a graph by clicking on a tab at the bottom of the data entry page.  Graphs available are "Daily Averages," based on three measurements per day, "Systolic BP" giving each of the three readings per day, "Diastolic BP" giving each of the three readings per day, and "Pulse" giving each of the three pulse rate measurements for each day.  The "Daily Averages" chart also gives the daily averages for pulse rate and pulse pressure (see below for definitions).  You may return to the data entry page by clicking on the "BP Data Sheet" tab at the bottom right of a page with a graph.  (If the "BP Data Sheet" Tab is covered up by the horizontal scroll bar on the bottom right, you may need to grab the left edge of the scroll bar and move it to the right to show the data sheet tab.)

  6. Save the file with a different name, e.g., bp-yourname-date.

  7. To change the graph title, e.g., to Blood Pressure, Pulse Rate, and Pulse Pressure Record - Yourname - Month and Year: Click once on the title to select the title, then click again on the title to be able to edit the title.  Edit the title and save.  (The title may be moved before or after editing by clicking and dragging the title text box.)

  8. The data set and graphs may also be printed.  Individual graphs may be printed, or the entire Excel Workbook of all graphs and data may be printed at one time to take to a physician.

  9. A place is provided on the "BP Data Sheet" for time and additional notes for each day.

The original Legacy Version 1.0 website is still available.

That website provides graphs for one week, two weeks, three weeks, and a month, each also giving an option for one record a day or for two records a day.   Those files are in Excel .xls format and can be opened using Microsoft Excel or the free OpenOffice.org spreadsheet "Calc."  To download the free OpenOffice Suite go to http://download.openoffice.org/. 

Definitions:

Blood Pressure is the force of the blood on the walls of the arteries, i.e., the force in the circulatory system that circulates the blood throughout the body.  (For example, see http://www.bloodpressure-drs-practical-guide.com/index.html and http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/high-blood-pressure/DS00100 .)  A normal blood pressure is about 120/80, where the top number is the systolic pressure and the bottom number is the diastolic pressure.  The unit of measurement is in millimeters of mercury (mmHg).  (For example, see http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003398.htm .)

Systolic Pressure is the maximum blood pressure when the heart contracts.  (For example, see http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003398.htm .)

Diastolic Pressure is the minimum blood pressure when the heart is not contracting between beats.  (For example, see http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003398.htm .)

Hypertension means high blood pressure.  (For example, see http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/guide/hypertension-overview-facts .)

Pulse Pressure is the difference between systolic pressure and diastolic pressure, e.g., if your systolic pressure is 120 and your diastolic pressure is 80, then the pulse pressure is 40.  More recently, researchers are finding that pulse pressure may even be a better predictor of cardiovascular problems than hypertension.  For example, see http://www.bloodpressure-drs-practical-guide.com/pulsepressure.html.  Dr. Vincent R. Moloney states that when pulse pressure is greater than 60 mm HG there is an increased incidence of adverse cardiovascular events, especially in the older population.  Diastolic pressure is more predictive of possible cardiovascular problems in people less than 50 years old.  At 50 - 59 years of age systolic pressure is most predictive, while after 60 the pulse pressure is most important.  As one ages there is a gradual shift in the strength of prediction of risk from diastolic pressure to systolic pressure to pulse pressure.  Also see http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/pulse-pressure/AN00968 and http://www.healthcentral.com/high-blood-pressure/c/58370/110775/pulse.

Pulse Rate (Heart Rate) is the number of times the heart beats in one minute.

Back to Blood Pressure Tracking Homepage

Back to Dr. Winstead's Homepage