Monitoring Blood Pressure and its Benefits
Being diagnosed with high blood pressure can be a major blow to a person of any age, especially one who is younger in age. Elderly people are more susceptible to developing high blood pressure because of the diminished efforts of their heart and younger people are more susceptible to high blood pressure because of the diet that they consume. Anyone with high blood pressure can lower the levels with regular exercise, a healthier diet, medication and other treatments. High blood pressure is more commonly known across the country as hypertension.
High blood pressure is referred to as the silent killer because symptoms do not appear until the disease has progressed well into its latter stages. The disease can lead to life threatening illnesses, heart disease, and stroke. Close to 50 million people in the country suffer from high blood pressure but one third of those people do not know they suffer from the problem that can potentially be life threatening. Doctors sometimes require their patients to monitor their high blood pressure from their own home between visits to the doctor’s office. Devices can be purchased from the drug store, the doctor, or in the mall can be reliable, accurate, and affordable even though some people say they are not any of the above.
Acquiring an accurate blood pressure reading from a monitor at home requires a couple of things:
- Avoid tobacco, caffeine, and food for about 30 to 60 minutes before taking a reading.
- Sit quietly for at least five minutes before taking a reading.
- Sit in a chair with your back supported and your feet flat on the floor.
- Place your arm on a table so that it is level with your heart.
- During the reading, sit still.
- Once the reading is finished, wait a few minutes and take it again.
- Keep a log of your blood pressure.
- Check with your doctor about how often you should take your blood pressure.
- Take care of your monitor. If your drop or damage it, make sure to have it tested again.
Recent studies have shown that a person’s blood pressure gets higher at the doctor’s office then it is when the patient is at their own home. This is because the person might be nervous about the outcome of a test performed, at the outcome of their blood pressure measurement, or because they are waiting to hear important information from the doctor. When at home there is less stress that can help raise a person’s blood pressure, which is why some doctors will have their patients take their blood pressure at home and report it to the office.
At home blood pressure machines can range anywhere from $50 to $300 depending on the type of machine that the person wishes to use when monitoring their pressure. Machines that can be purchased can measure the blood pressure through the use of the arm or through the use of the finger.
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