Monitoring activity and blood pressure

Body motion and blood pressure were monitored simultaneously for 24h in 82 healthy normotensive employees with sedentary jobs. Body movement frequency decreased from the level during work to the level at home in the evening and fell further when the subjects went to sleep. Approximately 25% of changes in blood pressure levels were explained by changes in gross body movement. The mean intrasubject correlation between pressure and motility was r = 0.52 (diastolic) and r = 0.51 (systolic). Simultaneous monitoring of blood pressure and human activity, using a behavioral diary to record the type of activity and an electronic motility monitor to record its intensity, can show how skeletal motor outflow affects the regulation of blood pressure in the normal circumstances of everyday life.