Tuesday, August 26, 2008

How to measure Blood Pressure correctly

In my last blog post Importance of regular home monitoring of Blood Pressure we have found that the regular measurement of bllod pressure is a must. But it is a bit difficult to find the actual blood pressure. Blood pressure varies according to the conditions prevailing at the time of measurement, so be sure to consider the following in order to obtain the most accurate measurement.
1. In preparation for blood pressure measurement ,the subject should urinate and should remain relatively still for 10 to 15 minutes prior to measurement
2. Shirts or other garments which fit tightly on the upper arm should be removed prior to fitting the arm cuff.
3. Exercise, eating and drinking, smoking etc., prior to measurement can affect the results.
4. The blood pressure varies constantly throughout the day. Measurement should be made regularly at the same time each day.
5. Do not be too impressed by the results of one measurement keep a record of blood pressure variations. Many readings tell a story.
6. When making repeated measurement the arm becomes heavy with blood, resulting in wide variations in measurement values. For this reason, repeated measurement should be made after a rest period of approximately 5 to 10 minutes or after raising the arm to relieve the engorged condition.
7. In general the blood pressure is low in summer and high in winter.
8. Emotional stresses may cause High blood pressure.

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Measuring blood pressure is a routine thing done by any normal person but it measuring it correctly is a tough thing :S

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Unknown said...

This is really useful to have all these great blogs in one place. I really like the measure of blood pressure tips, great design and interesting Articles!

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