 Been
cuffed by your doctor recently? Chances are he or she has just
put a cuff on your arm to check out your blood pressure. Caused
by blood pushing too hard against the walls of your arteries,
hypertension, or high blood pressure, can be a serious medical
condition. If your levels are above normal, they can put you
at increased risk for heart disease and stroke. Measuring your
blood pressure at home is helpful for two reasons. First, some
people get higher than usual blood pressure readings at the
doctor's, usually because they are a bit nervous. Second, people
with hypertension need to take their blood pressure regularly.
Blood pressure normally changes day to day, rising during activity
and falling during sleep. The best way to get good readings
is to check yourself at the same time of day. In some cases,
it may be a good idea to get occasional readings at different
times (e.g. at night to see if the effects of medications are
lasting thoughout the day). Discuss with your doctor how often
you should monitor your blood pressure.
You have three types of home monitors to choose from:
- The manual inflation device. Wrap the cuff around your arm
and use a pump to inflate it.
- The automatic inflation device. Push a button to inflate
the cuff. It then deflates at the rate needed for an accurate
test.
- The wrist cuff. Wrap the cuff around your wrist and push
a button to inflate the cuff.
Talk to your doctor or pharmacist about whether home monitoring
is for you and which type of monitor best suits your needs.
Most home monitors give extremely accurate readings. The monitor
will show systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Systolic, the
higher number, refers to the measurement taken when your heart
contracts; diastolic, the lower number, to when your heart expands.
Most home monitors also give your heart rate or pulse (how many
times a minute your heart is beating). Normal rates vary between
60-100 beats per minute. Many monitors have a tiny computer
in them which lets you compare a reading with ones done before.
Make sure you get a cuff size that fits well. If it's too small
or big for your arm or wrist it may give false readings.
Here's a list of the standards a home monitor uses for measuring
blood pressure. The most serious form of hypertension is Stage
3.
Category: Systolic Diastolic
Normal below 130 below 85
High Normal 130-139 85 - 89
High Blood Pressure
Stage 1 140-159 90-99
Stage 2 160-179 100-109
Stage 3 above 180 above 110
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