When dealing with high blood pressure it is important to know the correct way to check blood pressure.
how to check blood pressure
Different people find it necessary to learn the correct way to take a bp or blood pressure. Nurses are taught the correct method in school, as are doctors and patient technicians. But sometimes the general public needs to learn the correct way to take a bp so they can monitor their own blood pressure at home.
To understand the mechanics behind the correct way to take a bp you must first understand what blood pressure is and why it’s measured. Blood pressure is the force or pressure that your heart exerts to push your blood through the arteries. There are two parts – the top number or the systolic and the bottom number or the diastolic measurement.
The top number represents how much pressure is needed to squeeze out the blood from the heart and the diastolic number is the pressure that comes from the heart between beats.
The American Heart Association defines high blood pressure as a systolic number over 140 and diastolic over 90. Normal pressure is lower than 135/85. Your doctor may ask you to monitor your blood pressure for several reasons. You may be changing your medication, have a low blood pressure or you may have borderline blood pressure.
Your healthcare provider will teach you or someone close to you how to check your blood pressure. They will tell you what time of the day to take your blood pressure – and if they don’t then take it at the same time each day. They will also tell you how many times a day to take it. If your doctor doesn’t give you a chart to use then write down your readings after each time you take it recording the date, time and blood pressure.
There are several different pieces of equipment that can be used to take an accurate blood pressure. The monitor you use should be recommended by your physician and you shouldn’t alternate between machines. The correct way to take a bp is to use only one machine and if it breaks then replace it with another using the same machine with each blood pressure reading.
Use a cuff that is the correct size. The correct way to take a bp means using the correct size cuff. If you use a cuff that is too large or too small then the blood pressure readings will be inaccurate and your doctor may make decisions based on incorrect information.
There are digital monitors that make it easy to correctly take your blood pressure. It is important to read the directions on the machine you use since each one has slightly different instructions that can change the reading you get.
A digital device will have an automatic pump that inflates the cuff and the readings will be displayed on the monitor. When you take your blood pressure your arm should be level with your heart. If it is an arm cuff place it 1 inch above the elbow. Wrap it snugly around the arm.
To take a correct way to take a bp you shouldn’t use an injured arm or one that has a shunt or IV. If you’ve had a mastectomy use the opposite arm. Don’t take the reading directly after exercise.
If you have questions you should call your doctor or if you are nauseated, dizzy, your readings are higher or lower than normal or if you are having chest pain, problems breathing, or trouble thinking clearly.
