Tips For The Home Use Of Blood Pressure Monitors
Blood pressure monitors are becoming more user friendly so it is quite easy to check your blood pressure at home. If you have high blood pressure or other heart disease, tracking your blood pressure can be important to your health. Home blood pressure monitors are not very expensive, especially if you buy the manual rather than the digital kind.
Make sure you use the proper size cuff. If your arm is very large or very small, the standard size cuff normally supplied with blood pressure monitors may not give you an accurate reading. Choose an extra large cuff for big arms and a pediatric or extra small cuff for small arms.
It is also important that you take care of your monitor so that it doesn't get damaged. One way to do so is to keep it in a protective case whenever you are not using it. Blood pressure monitors also shouldn't be exposed to extreme heat so you can not just leave it in a car on hot days. If you do drop your monitor, then you have to make sure that no damage was done by checking its accuracy. The cuff and tubing also need to be examined for cracks or leaks before you use your monitor. These devices are also not waterproof and so take care that it does not get submerged.
As a general rule you will be recording the resting blood pressure. The only exception would be if your doctor tells you to do something else. The reason for this is that stress and activities elevate your blood pressure and if you need to keep track of the readings, then the same conditions have to be ensured for each reading. You also should not smoke, eat or exercise a half hour before it is time to take the blood pressure reading. The best way to get good readings is to sit comfortably with your feet on the floor.
During the reading you should not move while the device is still on. Movements made during the blood pressure test will cause inaccuracies in the reading. Cell phones also affect the accuracy and should be kept away while you are checking your blood pressure with a monitor.
If you get an unusual reading on your blood pressure monitor you should wait a few minutes and try again. If you are using an arm cuff, remove it completely. When you are ready to take your blood pressure start from the very beginning by reapplying the cuff.
Every now and then you have to make sure that your blood pressure monitor is still accurate. This is best done by taking your monitor with you when you have to go to the doctor's office and then comparing results from your device to those of your doctor's equipment.
It cannot be emphasized enough that you should be consistent in your routine when it comes to taking your blood pressure. Any changes such as climbing up the stairs can elevate the reading versus if you took it while resting. Your blood pressure does rise and fall throughout the day, but your activities can also affect the outcome of the reading.
Another way of assisting your doctor with his diagnosis and treatment of you is to keep a log or journal of your blood pressure readings. You should make a note of the conditions, such as if you were relaxed, feeling stressed or whatever the case may be, as well as record the time of day and any other pertinent information to help in your treatment.