Hypertension has now become a chronic disease with high incidence among middle-aged and elderly people. In order to better prevent high blood pressure, many middle-aged and elderly people will keep a blood pressure meter at home to monitor their blood pressure at any time. It is also necessary for patients with high blood pressure to measure blood pressure regularly to avoid fluctuations in blood pressure.
However, blood pressure monitors are medical equipment after all. If you do not pay attention to some details during operation, it is easy to cause inaccurate measurement results.
So, what should be paid attention to when measuring blood pressure at home?
1. Pay attention to the time to measure blood pressure
Human blood pressure is not constant throughout the day, and the blood pressure measured at different times is also different. In order to make the measurement result more accurate, blood pressure should be measured at fixed time every day. strong>Measure blood pressure at 6-10 am, and you can also measure blood pressure once at 4-8 pm.
2. Selection of blood pressure meter
Currently commonly used blood pressure monitors include electronic blood pressure monitor and mercury blood pressure monitor. In theory, mercury blood pressure monitor is more accurate, but it requires a certain medical foundation to operate. For ordinary people, if the operation is improper, it will affect the accuracy of the measurement results;
Therefore, it is recommended that ordinary people choose electronic blood pressure meter, which is simple and convenient to operate. There is a slight error in the measurement results, but it can be ignored.
3. It is best not to eat before measuring blood pressure
It’s best to don’t eat breakfast before measuring your blood pressure, and avoid smoking, drinking, or coffee, strong tea and other beverages. Otherwise, the speed of blood flow will be accelerated, which will increase the blood pressure value and affect the measurement result.
If you have eaten breakfast before the measurement, it is recommended to rest for 30 to 40 minutes, and wait for the blood flow to slow down and blood pressure to stabilize before taking the measurement.
4. Pay attention to measuring posture
measure When blood pressure, the arm to be measured should be placed on the table, try to keep the cuff at the same level as the heart, and pay attention to the appropriate tightness of the cuff, if it can accommodate two hands and feet, measure When landing, both legs should be relaxed to avoid tilting Erlang’s legs, so as not to affect the measurement results.
Some studies have shown that the act of undressing can temporarily increase blood pressure, especially taking off a jumper. Therefore, it is recommended to measure blood pressure at least 6 minutes after undressing. It is best not to wear a pullover when you have blood pressure.
5. Record blood pressure correctly
When measuring blood pressure, many people round the measurement results to whole numbers for the convenience of recording. This practice is likely to record the normal blood pressure value as a high blood pressure value, such as 139/88 mmHg as 140/90 mmHg. , this situation should also be avoided.
6. The blood pressure meter should be calibrated regularly
Whether it is an electronic sphygmomanometer or a mercury sphygmomanometer, it must be calibrated regularly, otherwise it will affect the accuracy of the measurement results.
General mercury sphygmomanometers are calibrated at least once a year, and electronic sphygmomanometers need to be calibrated every six months. It is recommended to choose the manufacturer for calibration. Go to an institution that can provide calibration services, and you can also bring a home blood pressure monitor to the doctor and compare it with the value measured by the hospital blood pressure monitor.
When measuring blood pressure, if you want to get more accurate results, pay attention to the measuring instrument, measuring time As well as measuring posture, etc. When measuring blood pressure, if the result is abnormal, it is best to measure it several times.If the blood pressure exceeds the normal range, seek medical attention in time, actively adjust and maintain the blood pressure within the normal range.