How to Check Blood Pressure at Home Using Automatic Monitor?

What is a Blood Pressure?

When your heart beats each time, it functions by pumping blood through your circulatory system while putting pressure on your blood vessels, veins, arteries, and capillaries. This function is known as blood pressure. Without blood pressure, your organs, muscles, bones, and other tissues would be unable to perform optimally as they won’t receive the oxygen and nutrients required for functioning. Your body’s immune and digestive systems also depend on the blood pressure to perform well.

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, happens when the pressure against the walls of your blood vessels becomes higher and sends your heart into overdrive. This can be an invitation to serious and life-threatening diseases like heart attack and stroke.

The scariest part is that high blood pressure doesn’t cause any symptoms and often goes unnoticed and undetected. It is so symptomless that it is labelled as a silent killer. Since high blood pressure is an invitation to more severe life-threatening illnesses, it is recommended to keep checking your blood pressure often and if the results are on the higher side, educate yourself well on how to control blood pressure and how to reduce blood pressure naturally. You can also learn to practise yoga for high blood pressure to control it naturally.

 

Monitoring Blood Pressure at Home

Keeping an eye on your blood pressure levels is important and easy. If you’re already diagnosed with hypertension and taking medicines to reduce your blood pressure levels, it is better you get an automatic blood pressure monitor for do-it-yourself testing. It will help you keep track of your blood pressure levels and keep you on track to controlling your blood pressure levels.

Some people develop white-coat hypertension which means that their blood pressure levels shoot up the moment they enter a medical facility or a doctor’s clinic. This may give out false higher or lower blood pressure readings which may lead to incorrect treatment and diagnosis. Checking blood pressure at home gives a more realistic picture as the person is relaxed in the comfort of their home while taking the reading.

Steps to Checking Your Blood Pressure at Home

You can’t march to a doctor’s office or a medical setting every few days to get your blood pressure checked. Getting a digital blood pressure monitor for home BP monitoring makes sense here. Checking blood pressure levels at home using an automatic or digital machine is one of the easiest ways. The process may seem a bit complex for some initially but a few easy steps make the entire process a cakewalk.

Here are the steps to follow while monitoring blood pressure at home:

• Relax

Before going for the blood pressure monitoring with a digital monitor, make sure you have your meals 30 minutes before. Make sure you don’t indulge in caffeine intake or do any vigorous exercise or other physical activity 30 minutes before checking your blood pressure.

Sit upright, keep your back straight, take deep breaths, clear your mind of cluttered thoughts and go about checking your blood pressure. This way you’ll have non-compromised blood pressure readings.

 

• Arm Position Matters

While checking your blood pressure at home with a digital machine, it’s important to place the arm rightly for the correct reading. Your arm should rest on a flat surface, preferably a table, and your upper arm level should be in line with your heart level. This is the correct way of monitoring your blood pressure at home.

 

• Place Cuff Correctly

The arm cuff, that comes along with the BP monitor, should be placed appropriately before starting the blood pressure monitoring. Easily slide the blood pressure cuff to your upper arm in a way that it sits one inch above the elbow fold.

 

Make sure the bottom edge of the arm cuff should rest just above your elbow for an optimal position. Any higher or lower than this may result in false or incorrect readings.

 

• Push the Button

After you’re done positioning the arm and placing the blood pressure cuff correctly, push the button to start inflating the cuff. Once the arm cuff completely inflates and the blood pressure is recorded into the machine, the air will start flowing out of the cuff.

 

• Record the Reading

If you’ve placed the cuff correctly and positioned the arm appropriately, the blood pressure monitor will display your BP reading. Note down your diastolic and systolic blood pressure levels and consult your doctor accordingly.

 

Tips for Accurate Blood Pressure Monitoring at Home

Regardless of what kind of BP monitor you’ve at home, using it properly requires a bit of training and practice. If you’re confused about the blood pressure monitor to choose, make sure you consult your doctor to pick the best fit for yourself.

To learn to use the monitor correctly and to get the accurate blood pressure reading, keep in mind the following tips:

• Before buying or using a monitor, make sure the device is correct and works well. Have the readings from your device compared to that of the reading of the device in your doctor’s clinic.
• Make sure you take the blood pressure readings twice a day at the same time every day. Record your blood pressure first thing in the morning without eating anything or taking your medications. Take two or three readings within a gap of 5 minutes each to establish the correct reading.
• Don’t record your blood pressure right after waking up or right after exercising.
• Avoid consuming food, caffeine, tobacco, alcohol, or any medicine for 30 minutes before taking the blood pressure reading.
• Sit in silence and keep your mind relaxed before taking the blood pressure reading.
• Always place the blood pressure cuff on your bare arm and not over the clothing.
• If you feel the first reading you took was incorrect, wait for 1-3 minutes before taking the second reading.