Get the most out of Monitoring Blood Pressure at Home

Blood pressure is the force that blood exerts against the walls of the blood vessels. High blood pressure, or hypertension, is one of the silent killers that could lead to heart diseases, stroke, aneurysm or kidney diseases. Hence, blood pressure monitoring at the comfort of your home, may be helpful to detect abnormal blood pressure or determine effectiveness of antihypertensives.

Why monitor your blood pressure?

High blood pressure does not have any symptoms, especially in the early stage. Thus, regular blood pressure monitoring is necessary to ensure that blood pressure is normal and always well-controlled.

Monitoring blood pressure is useful if you:

• suffer from high blood pressure
• take antihypertensive medications
• have risk factors for hypertension
• are pregnant with pregnancy-induced hypertension and/or pre-eclampsia
• are possibly present with “white coat” hypertension or “masked” hypertension

How to measure blood pressure with a digital BP monitor?

> Preparations before taking blood pressure reading:

• Half an hour prior to monitoring, refrain from smoking, drinking caffeinated beverages or exercising.
• At least five minutes before, empty your bladder and enjoy a quiet rest.
• Wear loose-fitting clothes to allow sleeves to be pushed up comfortably.

> When you are ready to take blood pressure reading:

• Sitting posture: Sit with your back straight and supported on a chair. Place your feet flat on the floor and do not cross your legs. Support your arm on a flat surface with the upper arm at heart level. The bottom of the cuff should sit directly above the bend of the elbow over bare skin, with the cuff covering at least 80 % of the upper arm.
• Arm for measurements: Be mindful to measure blood pressure with the same arm. Usually, the right arm would have high readings as compared to the left. The difference is negligible if the difference in systolic BP is less than 10 mm Hg. Regardless, treatment decisions should be made based on the higher reading.

> Steps to take blood pressure reading:

1. Put the cuff on and start the monitor as instructed by the product insert.
2. Stay still and quiet while the monitor measures blood pressure.
3. Take another two or three readings, each time one minute apart. Calculate the average of these readings to get the final blood pressure. (If the first few readings are much higher, take a few more readings until the level stabilises)
4. Record the final blood pressure reading in a logbook or save the data in your monitor. Keep an accurate record by avoiding rounding up or down measurements.

It is advisable to take readings at the same time each day. Ideally, the readings should be taken daily two weeks after a change in treatment and during the week before your next appointment.

Upper arm blood pressure monitoring with regular cuff wrapping type (Source: Omron Healthcare)

What to do if my blood pressure is high?

A normal blood pressure is below 120/80 mm Hg. However, your blood pressure may be elevated due to various factors. Nevertheless, a single high reading is not an immediate cause of concern. Repeat the test again. Consult your healthcare professional to check whether it is a heath concern or an issue with the monitor.

However, blood pressure exceeding 180/120 mm Hg would warrant immediate attention. To rule out hypertensive crisis, wait another five minutes to test again. If readings remain high, contact your doctor immediately. On the other hand, if there are signs of possible organ damage, skip the five-minute wait and contact your doctor as soon as possible. Signs to look out for are chest pain, shortness of breath, back pain, numbness/weakness, change in vision or difficulty speaking.

Blood pressure chart (Source: American Heart Association)

Conclusion:

It is beneficial to track high blood pressure. Firstly, regular self-monitoring ensure an early diagnosis to prevent untreated high blood pressure. Secondly, these readings are useful to guide doctors in treatment decisions of hypertension.

Blood pressure monitors are commonly available. Hence, home monitoring is one simple step towards taking charge of your health and managing your condition.

Read related articles:

• 3 Myths of High Blood Pressure Busted
• High Blood Pressure: When is the Best Time to take My Medication?

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Tags

• antihypertensive
• hypertension
• hypertensive crisis
• monitoring blood pressure