How do you check your blood pressure?
Blood pressure is the force of circulating blood on the walls of blood vessels in the body. And high blood pressure, also known as Hypertension, occurs when blood pressure escalates to an unhealthy level. High blood pressure is a widespread chronic disease. We detail why and how you can check your blood pressure.
Why Measure Your Blood Pressure
Measuring your blood pressure is necessary to check whether you have high blood pressure or are at risk of contracting this condition. In most cases, high blood pressure shows no signs and symptoms until the condition is acute. Therefore it is important to check your blood pressure regularly.
In addition, an accurate reading is important to diagnose whether or not you have high blood pressure. Inaccurate readings may results in hypertension going undetected or incorrectly assessed.
What is the correct way to measure blood pressure?
Firstly, before taking a blood pressure reading, it is important to know that blood pressure may be affected by various factors. These factors include:
– Nervousness about having high blood pressure
– Sitting posture, talking and movement during reading
– Physical activity before reading
These factors should be avoided before taking any reading so that you can derive an accurate blood pressure reading.
You can follow these steps for a more accurate blood pressure reading.
– Sit in a comfortable chair with the back supported
– Put your both feet flat on the ground
– Don’t talk during the reading
– The cuff should be against your bare skin
– Avoid exercising, smoking, and drinking caffeine or alcohol for 30 minutes before taking a blood pressure reading
– You should take a deep breath and relax for 5 minutes before measurements.
Methods of Measuring Blood Pressure
Before jumping into taking the reading, we should know that there are two kinds of blood pressure readings:
– Systolic reading – it is the upper reading, and it measures the blood pressure when the heart contracts and beats
– Diastolic reading – it is the lower reading, and it measures the blood pressure when the heart relaxes
These two kinds of blood pressure readings provide different information for a more accurate diagnosis.
Automated blood pressure machines
Automated blood pressure machines are the easiest way to measure blood pressure at home. Such devices are easily available at pharmacies and wholesale stores. They use what we call the oscillometric method to automatically measure blood pressure with fair accuracy. These automated blood pressure monitors typically come with an upper cuff are easy to use and easy to carry. ForaCare offers blood pressure monitors that are clinically validated for their professional-level accuracy.
Taking in mind the correct steps to prepare for a blood pressure reading, users can take these next steps for an accurate reading using a ForaCare automated blood pressure monitor.
– Wrap the cuff around the upper arm, and ensure the cuff is snug around the arm without being too tight
– Turn the power on to start the unit
– The cuff will inflate by itself with a push of a button
– After the cuff inflates, these devices will slowly let the air out
– Once done, the device will then display your systolic and diastolic pressures
– The systolic pressure goes in front of the diastolic pressure. For example, 120/80
– You can use the AVG function to take three readings in just three minutes to eliminate any possible inaccuracies arising from external factors
It is important to use a high-quality machine like ForaCare’s solutions for an accurate reading. Accurate readings help in early diagnosis and help to track your treatment. They also encourage better control through regular follow-up. Conversely, incorrect readings may result in hypertension going undiagnosed, or dangerous levels of stress or other health effects. It may also lead to a harmful change in medication and treatments.
Interpreting Results
Individuals should know the following categories of blood pressure reading to properly monitor and control his blood pressure. The categories of blood pressure readings are below:
| Blood Pressure Status | Systolic pressure (mm Hg) | Diastolic pressure (mm Hg) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal | less than 120 | less than 80 | |
| Elevated | 120-129 | less than 80 | |
| Stage 1 Hypertension | 130-139 | 80-89 | |
| Stage 2 Hypertension | 140 or higher | 90 or higher |
Hypertensive crisis (seek immediate medical attention) higher than 180 higher than 120
The blood pressure numbers depend on some factors. These factors can change the blood pressure numbers according to the person. These factors are
– Weight of the person
– Age of the person
– Physical activity of the person
– Stress levels
– Any medical condition
A person should visit his or her doctor when more than two readings show higher levels of blood pressure. Anyone who is facing a medical crisis should be treated as an emergency. Proper guidance is necessary to control high blood pressure.
Conclusion
Regular monitoring of blood pressure can prevent from following diseases.
– Heart failure and heart diseases
– Bulging of the wall of vessels and perforation of vessels
– Kidney failure
– Stroke
– Hypertensive retinopathy
– Hypertension-related stress
A regular follow-up and proper monitoring can prevent these adverse effects of long-term high blood pressure. And these diseases are having a bad effect on overall health. So by controlling blood pressure, A person can improve overall health.
ForaCare’s hypertension solutions are clinically-validated for accurate self-monitoring, and are packed with features that assist in the detection of cardiovascular diseases such as heart arrhythmia.
REFERENCES
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