Monitoring Blood Pressure At Home
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High Blood Pressure is known as the “Silent Killer’ because it has no symptoms yet leads to hundreds of thousands of deaths each year in the USA. According to the Centers for Disease Control, high blood pressure contributes to nearly 500,000 deaths in the USA annually. A Home Blood Pressure Monitor can be a crucial tool for people diagnosed with High Blood Pressure.
What is Blood Pressure and Why Is High Blood Pressure Bad?
Blood pressure is the pressure your blood places on your artery walls as blood is pumped. A blood pressure reading consists of two readings: Systolic blood pressure and Diastolic blood pressure. Systolic measure the pressure on your artery walls as your heart beats. Diastolic measures the pressure on your artery walls between heart beats.
According to thee American Heart Association, over the long-term High Blood Pressure can lead to a number of very serious health problems. These include heart attack, stroke, heart failure, kidney disease, and more. And since most people with High Blood Pressure have no symptoms, you can have it and not be aware.
A home blood pressure monitor can provide a simple, convenient way to track your blood pressure between doctor visits. They’re available in a variety of feature levels and at price points to fit anyone’s budget.
How Does a Blood Pressure Monitor Work?
A blood pressure monitor (also known as a sphygmomanometer) works on a fairly simple concept. It has an inflatable cuff that fits around your upper arm and a pressure monitor. The cuff inflates with air, creating enough pressure to cut off blood flow. As the cuff slowly deflates the monitor detects a slight vibration as the blood starts to flow again – the pressure level where this happens is the systolic blood pressure reading. As the cuff continues to deflate, the monitor notes the pressure point where the vibration stops – this point is the diastolic blood pressure level where the heart pauses between beats.
What To Look For In a Home Blood Pressure Monitor
- The American Heart Association recommends upper-arm, cuff-style blood pressure monitors. While wrist and finger blood pressure monitors are available their readings are much less reliable.
- Make sure the blood pressure monitor has been independently validated to be reliable and accurate. If you’re not sure about a model, you can check by visiting validatebp.org to see a database of independently validated blood pressure monitors.
- Be sure to check the cuff size of any prospective blood pressure monitor to make sure it will fit the arm of the person using it. Depending on the size of the arm, some cuffs may be too big or too small.
Our Favorite Home Blood Pressure Models
There are dozens of models of home blood pressure monitors available on the market – finding the right one can be a challenge. We’ve selected a few of our favorite models at a variety of price points and feature levels. All are from highly-respected manufactures, are full validated for accuracy, and have been favorably-reviewed by users on a consistent basis.
Tips for Getting an Accurate Reading
Even with an accurate machine you can still get an inaccurate blood pressure reading if you don’t take it correctly. When taking your blood pressure, be sure to:
- Sit up straight in a chair with a back. Have your legs uncrossed with your feet flat on the ground.
- Rest your arm on a table with your upper arm parallel to the floor at heart level.
- No caffeine, smoking or exercise 30 minutes before taking the reading.
- Roll your shirt up and take the reading on your bare arm.
- Your blood pressure changes throughout the day (peaking in the early morning and gradually lowering through the day). To accurately track your blood pressure progress, take readings at the same time every day.
As an Amazon Associate, we earn from qualifying purchases. All prices accurate as of 5/7/24.
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Additional Resources for Healthy Living
Unfortunately, there are a lot of web sites out there giving unreliable fitness advice. But there are also some great ones which we rely on when writing our articles. A few great resources for information you may want to also view include the National Institutes of Heath, the Mayo Clinic, and the World Health Organization.