Whether you've been diagnosed with hypertension, or you want to keep track of your healthy condition, a blood pressure monitor is a must-have at home in order to keep your blood pressure numbers under control.
Home gauges are usually digital type, and the entire measurement process is almost automatic. Here's how to use a blood pressure gauge: place the cuff on your arm or wrist, turn on the device, and the cuff will inflate to start the measurement, and deflate when the measurement is complete. Then the final reading will appear on the screen. The average systolic reading should be around 120 and the average diastolic reading should be around 80. If your blood pressure readings are consistently above or below this value, you may need to consider discussing it with your doctor. There are different types of blood pressure gauges, hand-held type, wrist type, and arm type. Choose the one that best suits you.
Wipe the housing of blood pressure monitor clean with a soft and dry cloth. Never use any abrasive cleaners or immerse the monitor or any components in water. The cuff can be cleaned with a soft damp cloth and mild soap.
Physicians, physician assistants, nurses, and other healthcare professionals recommend the use of blood pressure monitor for blood pressure monitoring at home for a variety of reasons, including its ability to: continually learn important metrics about your overall health; provide information to physicians and help them better know and manage the (high) blood pressure; know how patients respond to medications.
Many types of hypertension can only be detected by monitoring your blood pressure at home with a blood pressure monitor, including: white coat hypertension: high blood pressure readings in the doctor's office and low blood pressure readings at home; masked hypertension: low blood pressure readings in the doctor's office and high blood pressure readings at home; in addition, many factors can affect your blood pressure, including physical exertion, mood swings, medications, and stress, so it is important to regularly monitor your blood pressure at home.
Monitoring your blood pressure at home allows you to be more relaxed and have the flexibility to take measurements at different times of the day. By tracking your blood pressure readings at home, you can provide your healthcare professionals with a log of your blood pressure measurements over time, which can help them assess the effectiveness of your treatment.
