This content is for informational and educational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider.
Vital signs tell you things about your health.
It lets you know how well your body is working, and if there are any potential health issues coming up.
📋 Table of Contents
What are vital signs?
Vital signs give you a quick, yet insightful measurements of your body’s basic functions, like:
Types of vital signs
Your body temperature
Body temperature tells you how hot it is, inside your body. It can be measured in different ways:
- a thermometer
- orally
- in your bum
- under your arm
A normal body temperature should be around 98.6 degrees (37 C). However, it’s possible for it to fluctuate throughout your day.
Which is not a bad thing.
A fever, means that your temperature is higher than normal. Which could mean that you:
- Have an infection
- Or your body is inflamed .
On the other hand, if your body temperature is, too low, it can be dangerous, especially if you are in a cold place.
Pulse (heart rate)
Your heart rate is the amount of heart beats you have every minute. You can check it by feeling your:
- Pulse
- Neck
- Or wrist.
When you’re just chilling, your heart rate should be around 60 to 100 beats, every minute.
Things like:
- Exercise
- Stress
- Meditation
- Emotions like anger, or sadness
Can affect your heart rate. If your heart rate is always high, a condition called tachycardia. Or low (bradycardia), it could mean that something is wrong somewhere.
Breathing rate
It’s the number of breaths you take per minute, and it can be measured by studying your chest rise and fall.
A healthy breathing rate for adults is about 12 to 20 beats per minute. But, it can increase when you’re doing things like:
- Climbing or running down the stairs
- Exercising
- Dancing
- Swimming
And other activities you do. It can also increase when you feel stressed or anxious.
If there are any unusual changes in your breathing, it could be vital signs of breathing problems or other health problems.
Blood pressure
One of your body’s vital signs, is your blood pressure. Your blood pressure measures the force of blood against the walls of your arteries.
Even your heart pumps. It can be checked by two numbers:
- Systolic (the pressure when your heart beats
- Diastolic ( the pressure when your heart rests)
A healthy blood pressure is generally expected to be below 120/80 mm Hg.
One of your body’s vital signs is blood oxygen levels
It is the amount of oxygen in your blood, can be measured by using a pulse oximeter, a small device that clips on your finger.
Studies show a healthy blood oxygen is typically be between 95 percent and 100 percent. But, if they’re lower, it could a be a sign, that something is wrong with your lungs.
Or there other conditions that is affecting how oxygen goes through your body.
Why are vital signs important?
They are important because they can:
- Help diagnose health issues by giving the doctor important information to treat any health issues.
- Keep you in the loop on changes to in your health.
- Help you build a baseline, by letting you know what is normal and what is not normal for you.
- Prevent things from getting worse and improve how things turn out
