In an advisory issued by the American Heart Association, it was told that most people do not check blood pressure properly at home. According to the association, people not only wrongly take BP readings with the digital blood pressure monitor machine checked at home, but are also troubled by the readings after that.
According to doctors associated with the Indian Medical Association and members of the Cardiological Society of India, if you check your blood pressure at home, then it is very important to know what is the right way to measure blood pressure.
When should not check blood pressure?
According to the American Heart Association, the way you sit is considered very important in the important aspects while checking blood pressure. Apart from this, it is also very important to see that you are not going to check your BP immediately after doing some physical work.
Cardiology Dr. RK Saran says that before checking blood pressure at home, it is necessary to decide that your urine bladder should be empty. When you sit at home to check blood pressure, check only after urinating. Apart from this, even if you check your BP while sitting on your bed, there is no possibility of accurate reading.
Sit on a chair, keep your back straight
Dr. RK Saran says that the best way to check BP is to sit on a chair and keep your back straight with the support of the chair. After that, the soles of your feet should be kept equal to the ground. Along with this, while taking the reading, your hand should keep the elbow straight on the table.
In such a situation, when you check your blood pressure at home, the accuracy of the blood pressure reading increases.
Do not check your BP while sitting on the bed
According to experts, if you take blood pressure readings while sitting on the bed, then the chances of getting an accurate reading are less. Cardiologist Dr. Saurabh Majumdar says that people usually take early morning readings on their beds. This method of checking BP is not correct at all, because in this case there may be a mistake in your reading. It is not that the reading will change completely after checking BP in this way, but manipulation of some digits can happen.
Dr. Pankaj Ranjan, Chief Cardiologist, at Yatharth Hospital, says that due to changing lifestyles and poor eating habits, people are facing lifestyle diseases, which is why people check blood pressure and blood sugar at their homes. People who have blood pressure or sugar should keep a digital BP instrument and checking machines at their homes. You must also keep taking advice from your doctor at an interval of time.
What is the advice of experts?
Cardiologist Dr. SK Reddy says meter readings are taken in hospitals in the same manner as people take them at home. He says that for patients who are not in a position to get up, BP monitoring is also done on the bed in hospitals, but the blood pressure readings taken in hospitals are taken under the supervision of doctors and trained paramedical staff. Therefore, if blood pressure is monitored in hospitals in this way, then continuous monitoring is also done, especially in critical patients.
In hospitals, blood pressure should always be checked with the patient sitting on a chair with his back supported, keeping his hands on the table, and keeping his feet down.
(PC: Freepik)
