How to Measure Blood Pressure at Home: A Step-by-Step Guide
By Jaya Pathak
Imagine a scenario where you are getting your blood pressure checked during duty in a health camp and you come to know that the blood pressure levels are slightly elevated. First, it might worry you. Months may pass but the number might be stored in your muscle memory. But what matters the most is that BP is something which naturally changes throughout the day. There are various factors which can affect a reading. The real inside lies in the pattern where you have to measure the blood pressure levels consistently and keep a track over time and understand before a small warning becomes a better concern.
The equipment
Buying an expensive blood pressure monitor is not enough. A good monitor may give an inaccurate reading if you have placed your arm incorrectly or using the wrong cuff size. You must choose a monitor that has been properly validated by an important organization.
With the validated automatic upper arm monitor, use the correct technique. Avoid relying on finger monitors for routine measurement. Check your cuff size before buying it.
Preparation
Avoid coffee, tea, drinks and soda. Do not consume cigarettes or nicotine gums as it raises the heart rate. Avoid consuming alcohol as it fluctuates the blood vessels. Do not engage in exercise and physical activity. But it should be kept in mind that reading should be taken during that time which must be accurate for the moment so that it can give a picture for the rest of the week. While taking the reading your bladder must be empty.
The measurement itself
- Get yourself seated. Put your arm on the table. Make sure the cuff is right on your skin. Do not put it over your shirt sleeve. The material can pile up. Cause pressure to be uneven. The bottom part of the cuff should be two centimeters above the bend of your elbow. The line that is printed on the cuff should be, over the artery.
- Your arm should be at heart level. When the table is lower than your heart then you place a folded towel under your elbow to adjust the angle. When your arm is below your heart then you will have pressure and the number will be high.
- Press the start button. Do not talk. Do not shift. Breathing should be slow and normal not held. The cuff inflates, deflates. The process takes thirty seconds.
- Record the number. Systolic over diastolic pulse alongside. A small notebook works. A phone app works. The format matters less than consistency.
- Wait one minute. Take a reading. Discard the first if it differs from the second by than five points and take a third. The average of the two is the number to log. One reading is noise. Two readings, averaged, approximate the truth.
Frequency
Morning before medication before breakfast. Evening, before dinner. Two readings each session one minute apart. That is the protocol endorsed by the American Heart Association and the European Society of Hypertension for the week of monitoring. After that three to four mornings per week tend to give the physician data to adjust treatment without drowning in numbers.
What the numbers indicate
Blood pressure level is measured in millimetres of Mercury. It has maybe two numbers which are 120 and 80. A reading below these numbers are considered quite normal. But if the reading is around or above these numbers, then it might need further assessment. At the very beginning level, blood pressures can be regulated through proper diet, physical activity, improvement and sleep quality and other lifestyle related modifications. But it also should be noticed that one reading cannot provide you with an ultimate and clearer picture. You must record the blood pressure levels for half a month and then consult the medical professional.
The discipline underneath the data
Blood pressure measurement should be made a habit rather than merely an event. Don’t consume caffeine or tobacco prior to measuring the blood level. Avoid doing any rigorous exercise before testing. Do not take every numerical value seriously and get anxious about it. But if the blood pressure level has been consistent for the past 2 weeks then you must go to your nearby healthcare center so that adequate measures can be adopted.
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