Blood pressure monitoring is essential for people who are prone to heart problems. With the help of the blood pressure monitor, you can prevent serious problems, such as cardiovascular accidents.
The blood pressure monitor, classic or digital, indicates both the systolic pressure (the high value – when the heart pushes blood through the arteries) and the diastolic pressure (the low value – when the heart relaxes and the pressure drops). With the blood pressure monitor you can more easily monitor your blood pressure “at home”.
Depending on your preferences, you can opt for the classic model or a digital one. When it comes to choosing the type of blood pressure monitor, you can ask your family doctor for advice, or you can choose one based on the recommendations. Remember that the sphygmomanometer shows the true blood pressure value as long as it is used correctly.
Before you start measuring blood pressure, remember that the accuracy of the results can be changed by body movements. Try to sit in a comfortable position and relax for 5 minutes before starting.
How is the classic tensiometer used?
If you have a classic blood pressure monitor, you need to follow a few simple steps to be able to monitor your blood pressure. Place your left arm on the table, palm up, so that the blood pressure cuff is at the same height as your heart. Wrap the cuff around the forearm so that the rubber tubes are facing forward, then place the stethoscope 1-2 cm below the cuff.
It pumps air until the pressure in the cuff reaches a high level (it can also be seen on the screen – the manometer needle shows 30 mmHg), and the pulse is no longer felt. Then slowly open the valve to allow the air in the cuff to slowly escape and the pressure to drop.
At the first beat of the pulse heard in the stethoscope, the systolic value is read, and after a minute, when you no longer hear anything in the stethoscope (that is, after the last beat), you can also read the diastolic value.
Unlike the classic devices, with a stethoscope and a manometer, the digital ones, equipped with a screen on which the voltage values are displayed, are easier to use. The difference from the classic tensiometer is that the digital one does not “listen” to the noises produced by the blood circulating through the arteries, but detects the oscillations transmitted by the walls of the blood vessels. In the case of digital devices, the oscillations are transformed into electrical signals, which are then interpreted by the device and displayed on the tensiometer screen.
In the case of a digital blood pressure monitor, the rules for measuring blood pressure are similar to those of a classic blood pressure monitor. Place your left hand on the table, palm up, then place the blood pressure monitor at a distance of approximately 2-3 cm from the palm. Tighten the cuff and turn on the blood pressure monitor. Wait until the machine beeps, then read the results on the screen.
Unlike the classic method, digital devices can memorize the last 10-20 blood pressure values, indicating the day and time when the measurement took place.
In the case of a person without health problems, normal blood pressure values should be: systolic between 100 and 120 mmHg, and diastolic between 65 and 80 mmHg. If lower or higher values are obtained, the problem of hyper- or hypotension may arise.
Blood pressure monitoring is indicated for people who have a high risk of cardiovascular diseases, in the case of those who suffer from prehypertension (between 120/80 mmHg and 140/90 mmHg), but also for those who follow treatment for hyper/hypotension.
If you follow drug treatment, blood pressure should be measured twice a day (at intervals of a few minutes) at the onset of the disease, until the values stabilize. Then the voltage measurement can be done less often.
Did you know that…
… a hypertensive under treatment, whose blood pressure is kept under control, is it enough to measure his blood pressure at home once a week?
…in the case of diabetes, blood pressure values should not exceed 130/80 mmHg (more precisely 13 to 8) to reduce the risk of cardiovascular diseases?
… systolic pressure increases with age, and diastolic pressure decreases, because blood vessels lose their elasticity?
Type of pressure Systolic (mmHg) Diastolic (mmHg)
Hypotension less than 100 less than 65
Normal voltage 100-120 65-80
Prehypertension 120-139 80-89
Hypertension stage I 140-159 90-99
Stage II hypertension 160 and over 100 and over
INFO: Caffeine, stress, smoking and temperature changes can change blood pressure values.
