Blood Pressure Lab

My systole was 110 and my diastole was 60. To measure the heart rate we used a stethoscope (for the heartbeat) and our first and middle fingers (for the radial and carotid pulses). To measure blood pressure, we used a sphygmomanometer (which is just a fancy and official word for a blood pressure cuff). You can't use your thumb to measure your pulse because your thumb has a pulse of it's own and may interfere with your actual pulse readings. 

To use a blood pressure cuff, find the pulse in the brachial artery near your elbow-pit. Put the cuff right above it. Make sure the valve is closed, then inflate the cuff until the pressure reads 150 mm Hg. Then slowly release the valve. Listen with your stethoscope on the brachial artery for a sharp sound (this is the systolic pressure). Then listen for when that sound disappears (the diastolic pressure). 

Data Tables:

Unit 2 Reflection

What is health?

Health is "the measure of our body's efficiency and overall well-being."

     I think that from the nutrition point of view, I am a very healthy person as I eat really healthy food most of the time. (I sneak in a Starbucks frappuccino from time to time). I need to work on the physical exercise component and the sleep component of the pillars of health. Saratoga High School is notoriously known for it's ridiculously high amounts of homework, which lead to sleep loss and students stressing out way too much. Even though I do get a lot of homework and hard tests, I try not to stress out too much. By decreasing the amount of homework that teachers give, students will be able to relax more; they will also be able to sleep more since they won't have as much work to do.
     Some essential themes from this unit included: making sure you take care of your body, understanding how hormones affect your health, and making sure that you get enough sleep and nutrients. I learned from this unit that I should be way more careful about the food that I put into my body as it is not always as healthy as it seems (Poptarts are not healthy AT ALL). Something that I did not understand was how hormones can have such a large effect on our bodies' mental and physical health. To improve for the next unit, I will begin to make flashcards for the essential vocabulary as we go through each section.

     Since approximately 40% of America suffers from mental disorders, I have attached a link to how to get over emotional pain.Click Here! This article relates to this unit because it shows us how we can achieve a more stress-free environment by dealing with our "emotional pain."
My health goals are:

1. To sleep more
2. To exercise more

Actions I will take to achieve these goals:

1. Try not to procrastinate
2. Take my dog for runs instead of walks

A healthy lifestyle is important to me because I want to be healthy when I grow older.

I will know I have reached my goals when I go running everyday and I am able to get about 8 hours of sleep every night.