The right way to check blood pressure at home

If you are diagnosed with high blood pressure or hypertension, then you need to regularly check your blood pressure or blood pressure. Checking blood pressure can be done in several places, including at home. This is important to be able to control your blood pressure to avoid complications of hypertension. So, where can you do a tension check? Then, how do you measure blood pressure at home?

Things that need to be important to know before checking blood pressure

Blood pressure shows how hard your heart is working when it pumps blood through the arteries. Blood pressure is one of the vital signs of the body, in addition to body temperature, heart rate and respiration.

When measuring blood pressure, 2 numbers appear on the measuring device. The first number that usually appears above is the systolic pressure number. Meanwhile, the number that appears at the bottom is the diastolic pressure.

So, if you look at the number in the tensimeter at 117/80 mmHg, your systolic pressure is 117, while your diastolic pressure is 80.

Check blood pressure or tension should be done at certain times. Usually, the doctor will recommend the right time to check, for example after you take medication or when you feel symptoms of hypertension such as dizziness.

Where can you check your blood pressure?

One of the benefits of regularly measuring blood pressure is that it is a way to control your blood pressure. This measurement can be done in several places, namely in a hospital or clinic by a nurse or doctor, at a pharmacy that has a digital blood pressure meter, or at home with a blood pressure meter that you can use yourself.

• Check blood pressure at the hospital or clinic

In hospitals or clinics, nurses generally use a manual blood pressure gauge or what is also known as sphygmomanometer or tensimeter. This measurement is done by placing a cuff on your wrist or upper arm and attaching a stethoscope to your pulse.

Then the nurse will pump the ball out of the cuff with one hand which will expand and narrow the artery through the cuff in your arm. When air is released, the first sound detected by the stethoscope is systolic pressure and when the sound disappears, it is called the diastolic pressure.

Meanwhile, at a pharmacy or home, blood pressure checks are generally carried out using a digital tensimeter. However, you can use a manual tensimeter at home, but you will need to ask a nurse to teach you how to use it.

Routine check of blood pressure or tension at home with a tensimeter can improve the accuracy of the diagnosis of hypertension, and is superior in predicting prognosis than checking blood pressure in the conventional way in a clinic or hospital.

You can also save more money and time that should be spent going back and forth to the doctor. In this way you will also be more proactive in monitoring your blood pressure from time to time as well as its treatment.

• Check blood pressure can be done at home

According to a journal from American Heart Association in 2013, people who routinely checked their own blood pressure at home were more likely to reach their desired blood pressure target, compared to people who took measurements only when they were visiting a doctor.

Taking your own blood pressure is very important, especially if you have a chronic disease such as diabetes. In addition, if your blood pressure increases and decreases frequently, measuring your own blood pressure at home is useful so that your doctor can monitor the progress of your condition every day.

How to check blood pressure at home is actually easy. But before starting on your own, you should still consult with your doctor about choosing the right tool, to learn how to use it, as well as make sure that the accuracy of your tensimeter is up to the prevailing medical standards.

Steps to check blood pressure at home

Follow the steps below to start checking your own blood pressure at home:

1. Make sure the body is relaxed

Before checking blood pressure, you must make sure that your body is completely relaxed. Avoid smoking and drinking drinks that contain caffeine or alcohol as they can temporarily raise blood pressure.

It would be even better if you exercise 30 minutes before checking blood pressure. In addition, make yourself as comfortable as possible, such as not setting the temperature too low when in an air-conditioned room.

Sit with your arms so that they are on the table so that your elbows are level with your heart. Keep your arms as close to your heart as possible, and your back is well supported by the back of the chair and your feet on the floor.

Pee first before checking the tension. Make sure your bladder is completely empty, as incomplete urine can give false blood pressure results.

2. Wear the blood pressure gauge appropriately

Place the cuff of the blood pressure gauge on your arm. Make sure the cuff fits the circumference of your upper arm to give an accurate reading.

Avoid wearing clothes that are too thick. The blood pressure test results will be more accurate if the cuff is placed directly over your skin.

3. Start taking your blood pressure

Check your blood pressure according to the instrument's instructions. Leave the flat cuff wrapped around your arm first, wait a moment, then take the second reading.

If the two readings are close, take the average. If not, go back and take the average of the three readings. After each check, write down the top number (systolic pressure) and the bottom number (diastolic pressure).

Don't panic if you read your high blood pressure reading. Try to calm down for a moment, then repeat the blood pressure measurement again.

Normal blood pressure should be below 120/80 mmHg. If the reading is still high, check again after 5 minutes to get a more accurate result.

If the systolic pressure reaches more than 180 mmHg, or the diastolic pressure exceeds 120 mmHg, you should seek medical attention immediately as these conditions are a sign of a hypertensive crisis.

Tips when checking blood pressure at home

Make tension checks at home a daily habit. This allows you to know what the pattern of changes in your blood pressure looks like and what might trigger it, which is especially helpful for both you and your doctor later on.

Also, make sure you measure your blood pressure at the same time every day. You can also keep a journal or note about the measurement results, as well as when you check them.

Routinely measuring blood pressure at home will not necessarily free you from hypertension. However, it will really help you to be more in control of your own health and adhere to hypertension treatment therapy.

You will know when and how to make lifestyle adjustments to keep blood pressure stable, and determine whether your hypertension medication is effective or not for managing symptoms.

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