Your vital signs show how well your body is working. They are usually measured at a doctor's office — often as part of a checkup — or during a visit to the emergency room. There are four.
Blood pressure
Blood pressure measures the force of your blood pushing against the walls of your arteries. Pressure that is too high or too low can cause problems.
A reading has two numbers:
- the first is the pressure while your heart beats and pumps blood;
- the second is the pressure while your heart rests between beats.
For adults, a normal reading is lower than 120/80 and higher than 90/60.
Heart rate
Heart rate, or pulse, measures how fast your heart is beating. A problem with it may be an arrhythmia. What is normal for you depends on things such as:
- your age;
- how much you exercise;
- whether you are sitting or standing;
- which medicines you take;
- your weight.
Respiratory rate
Respiratory rate measures your breathing. Mild changes can come from ordinary causes such as a stuffy nose or hard exercise. But breathing that is too slow or too fast can also be a sign of a serious breathing problem.
Temperature
Temperature measures how hot your body is. A body temperature higher than normal — over 98.6 °F, or 37 °C — is called a fever.
At a glance
| Vital sign | What it measures | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Blood pressure | force of blood against artery walls | normal for adults: below 120/80 and above 90/60 |
| Heart rate (pulse) | how fast the heart beats | a problem may be an arrhythmia |
| Respiratory rate | breathing | slow or fast breathing can signal a serious problem |
| Temperature | how hot the body is | over 98.6 °F (37 °C) is a fever |
Sources
- MedlinePlus, U.S. National Library of Medicine, "Vital Signs." https://medlineplus.gov/vitalsigns.html
- Rewritten in hubnx's own words.
Licence: CC0 1.0 (public domain) · Adapted from medlineplus.gov
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