According to the self measurement of blood pressure method it is recommended that you measure it three times a day for 3 days before the visit to your doctor to assess the evolution: Right upon waking up before breakfast and taking medication, before lunch, before dinner. In this article we will teach you which the right steps to take the blood pressure with greater reliability are. The most important element to take blood pressure is a sphygmomanometer. In this OneHowTo article, we show you exactly how to take blood pressure.
Take it on the left or right arm (right-handed) and (left-handed). Unless your doctor or nurse specifically tells you to take one or the other.
The first blood pressure measurement must be the first thing in the morning upon waking. This measurment is important because you are completely at rest. Thus, none of the pressure is due to exercise or daily activities.
Blood pressure should always be measured before taking any medication, we must choose a suitable place for taking blood pressure. It should be quiet with a table that allows us to put everything you need and clearly see the screen of your device.
Sit in a straight chair with your back well supported, both feet on the ground, legs uncrossed squarely, adopting a relaxed posture. The sleeve of the sphygmomanometer will be placed at the height of adapting well to the circumference of your arm and taking care that the indicator is positioned over the brachial artery. We must also support our elbow on the table without forcing the posture. It can be very useful to put a pillow under his arm to support the elbow. Your arm should never be elevated above the level of your heart, doing so will skew the results.
Obese people need to buy a larger cuff. Once well positioned begin to measure blood pressure, activating our meter.
This process must be repeated 3 times leaving a rest period of about 2 minutes. When we have three blood pressure results, you have a good idea of what your blood pressure reading is.
The second blood pressure test should be at noon before eating and before taking the medication prescribed by our physician. The same process as explained above to sit and making three measurements waiting two minutes between them.
The last measurement with the sphygmomanometer will be in the evening, before dinner and before taking any medication prescribed for that time. This process should be repeated for three consecutive days.
Normal values with this system are those that do not exceed the arithmetic mean that do not exceed 135 mm Hg for maximum for systolic and 85 mm Hg for diastolic pressure. Often the first test values are above the second and third. This is partly due to the variability of the blood pressure and partly to concerns about your blood pressure, it is called reaction alert and not important.
The blood pressure values should be discussed with your doctor. Self measurement is a good technique but may not be suitable for certain hypertensive patients. You should never self-medicate according to your blood pressure results, unless previously discussed with a physician.
If you have high blood pressure, learn how to lower your high blood pressure.
This article is merely informative, oneHOWTO does not have the authority to prescribe any medical treatments or create a diagnosis. We invite you to visit your doctor if you have any type of condition or pain.
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- It is important not to smoke, not to take any type of drink or coffee and you must urinate before the first measurement of the morning.
- Sphygmomanometers are approved and provided with an instruction manual.
- We recommend an annual calibration and sent the blood pressure check service.