You should take instructions from your doctor before checking your blood pressure at home. It is a given fact that several factors can be causes of a sudden increase in blood pressure. These factors may include prolonged stress, nicotine addiction, extreme temperatures, exercise, and various caffeinated products. Even certain medicines can be one of the factors for a high blood pressure. Therefore, if you plan to have the best results in your measurements, you need to eliminate these factors from your lifestyle and probably change into a healthier one. Also, it is important to measure your blood pressure the same time every day for accuracy.
Tips for a more accurate BP results
• Stay in a quiet place as much as possible; remember you will be listening to your heartbeat and
blood pressure.
• Wear loose fitting clothes to prevent unnecessary interruptions. The left arm is the best part
where you can get your BP especially if you are a right-handed person. Unless you are given
instructions, do not use your right arm.
• For a couple of minutes, get yourself rested near a table where you can rest your arm
comfortably. Be sure the arms are at a heart level.
• Feet should also lie flat and comfortable on the floor.
• Be sure not to engage in conversation, read a newspaper or just any other activity for that
matter.
How to practically do the measurement
• First, you need to find your pulse. It is easy to locate your pulse by pressing middle and index
fingers to the midpoint of the bend of the elbow. This is where brachial artery is positioned. If
you cannot find any pulse, use the stethoscope head if the manual monitor is available or the cuff if
using a digital monitor in the identical area.
• The cuff should be secured and thread at the end of a metal loop. The stethoscope should be above
the particular artery for a manual BP monitor. You can mark an arrow to make sure of the
stethoscope’s head site.
• When placing the stethoscope in your ears, you can tilt the ear piece a little bit forward to
acquire the needed sound.
• In manual monitors, you can grasp the pressure gauge with your left hand and the on the right,
hold on the bulb. Turn the screw clockwise to close the airflow valve located with the bulb.
• Using the right hand, squeeze the bulb, the pulse should be heard in the device.
• The gauge will continue inflating the cuff until it reads approximately 30 points over the
anticipated systolic pressure. This is the point where you will not be hearing any pulse in the
stethoscope.
• You can then release the pressure slowly by opening the airflow valve in a counter clockwise
motion.
• The first pulse beat represents the systolic pressure.
• Deflating the cuff in slow motion will allow the sound to eventually disappear. Write down
immediately the measurement the minute you no longer catch a pulse beat. This represents the
diastolic pressure.
• Totally deflate the cuff.
This can be done by a manual monitor, and a digital monitor is much easier for some to use. Any which
way, you can try to do this at home.