Vital Signs
Vital Signs are the key body readings like heart rate, breathing, and blood pressure that show how you are doing.
A pot of water on a stove has three gauges clipped to it: a thermometer, a pressure dial, and a timer. Each gauge shows one reading at a glance. Together, the three tell you if the pot is at a safe, steady boil or heading toward a problem. Vital signs work the same way.
Explaining vital signs by grade level
Your body gives clues about how it feels. Your heart beat, your breathing speed, and how warm you are all count as vital signs. Doctors check these to see if you are well. These clues change when you sleep, run, or rest.
Projects that explore vital signs
Blood pressure is one of the key body readings that shows how you are doing. When you run, your heart beats faster, but blood pressure is a separate measurement that can change in surprising ways. You track it with five readings using a wrist monitor: at rest, during two exercise intervals, and across two recovery periods.
Temperature, pulse, breathing rate, and blood pressure are four key body readings that together show how you are doing. Your body runs on an internal clock called a circadian rhythm. You measure all four vital signs three times during the day, then a trained partner takes the same measurements while you are in deep sleep.