You have to learn how to read your own blood pressure through the blood pressure machine and know what it means if you have the reading and what to do if you find it high. Your blood pressure must be accurate because your treatment will depend on the result. Any false reading will have consequences such as taking a medicine that is not needed. Here are the few tips on how to read your blood pressure machine correctly:
• Sit quietly for about three to five minutes before taking a blood pressure
Blood pressure reading will be affected by a small movement that is why when taking a blood
pressure you have to stay quiet for three to five minutes but if you are in any health care
the facility usually it does not follow the right way of taking a blood pressure.
• Use the right cuff
The cuff must be the right size that fits in your upper arm. Blood pressure machine must have
the correct cuff that can wrap around your upper arm for accurate reading of blood pressure.
Using smaller cuff will give you false blood pressure although most of the time in a clinic or any
medical facilities they use one standard size cuff to all patients. Monitoring your own blood
pressure at home make sure that you have the right size of the cuff that fits your upper arm.
• Try to take blood pressure in both arms.
It is recommended taking blood pressure in both arms but it does not mean that it will give you
the same result. If it gives you different reading the arm with a higher result will be used for
accurate reading.
• Try to get two reading on your blood pressure
A single reading sometimes does not give an accurate reading of your blood pressure. In order
to have reliable result try to take another reading on your blood pressure machine but it you
need to wait for at least a minute or two before taking another one.
• Make sure that your arm resting on the heart level and has a support and at the same time feet
will be flat on the floor
Body position will influence the result of your blood pressure that is why you have to follow the
right guidelines when taking a blood pressure.
Keep in mind that blood pressure assesses the force exerted in your arteries while your heart pumps
blood through your body. If the arteries have less supply of blood it can result in a high blood pressure.
Age is also a factor why we are having problems with our blood pressure. Without proper treatment the
high blood pressure remains high and soon it will damage our heart, brain, and kidney.
There are a lot of things that you can do in order to avoid or reduce blood pressure and you can start
that by monitoring your blood pressure. To have a normal reading it must maintain in 120/80mmHg any
number higher than the normal number will need treatment right away.