According to the American Heart Association, monitoring regularly your heart condition is an essential part of preventing and managing high blood pressure or hypertension. If you have hypertension, most of health practitioners will recommend you to monitor your blood at home. This is why those with hypertension should know how to trace their blood pressure condition without any help from their doctor.
Using an automatic blood pressure monitor is one of alternative ways to keep watching the condition. Nowdays, there are various brands of the device with various features and price in the market, but how you can sure that the result is in sharp accuracy? By choosing right types combined with the right measurement technique, you can monitor your blood pressure precisely.
Tips on maintain home blood pressure monitor accuracy
1. If you are using an automatic or digital home blood pressure monitor for the first time, ask your doctor or nurse to calibrate your monitor using the office model. To make sure that your technique is right, show to your doctor about how you use the device. In case you are not doing properly, they will show you the right technique.
2. Don’t measure your blood pressure right after consuming caffeine, alcohol, and tobacco. Try to go to the toilet first before you use the device. A full bladder and consuming those foods that contain alcohol and caffeine may elevate blood pressure slightly.
3. Take two or three reading on each measuring, and reads your blood pressure twice daily. Experts suggest you to measure your blood condition twice a day, once in the morning and once in the evening. The experts also recommend you to measure your blood condition at the same times of day each time you read your blood pressure.
4. Wait about an hour after you wake up before taking your blood condition. In the morning when you just wake up, wait for an hour and avoid to taking a breakfast before measuring your blood condition.
5. Put your arm in right position when measuring. Put your hand at the same level with your heart. You may need a cushion or pillow to elevate your hand. Put the cuff directly touch your arm skin, rolling up the cuff sleeve but not too tight.
6. Keep silent and sit quietly. When you ready to measure your blood pressure level, sit quietly for three to five minutes, keep relax and keep silent when the measuring process is ongoing. Once you get the number, repeat the process for two or three times, with one-two minutes time interval between the measurements.
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