Health, High Blood Pressure

How to check your blood pressure accurately

Did you know there are rules for checking your blood pressure (BP) accurately? Yes, you should check your BP regularly. But it is important you do so right.

 

Blood pressure

So, before measuring your BP:

🔴Make sure your bladder is empty. Go and urinate.
🔴Now, rest comfortably and quietly for 5 minutes before measuring blood pressure.
🔴Avoid smoking, drinking alcohol, or exercising within 60 minutes of measuring blood pressure.
🔴Think of a happy event in your life. Breathe in and out deeply 5 times. Relax.

 

When measuring BP:

🔴Take readings at the same time each day.
🔴Do not talk when checking
🔴Sit with your back straight, legs uncrossed, and feet flat on the floor.
🔴Rest the arm (left arm preferably) on a flat surface so that the upper arm is at heart level.
🔴Place the cuff on the left arm so that the bottom of the cuff is directly above the elbow crease.
🔴Take two or three readings approximately 1 minute apart and calculate the average value.
🔴Keep a record of all readings

 

Just to refresh your memory on the numbers to look out for when you measure your blood pressure:

                                       Systolic (mmHg)                                           Diastolic (mmHg)

Normal                                 <120                    and                                  <80

Elevated                              120-129               and                                  <80

Stage 1 Hypertension          130-139               or                                    80-89

Stage 2 Hypertension           >140                   or                                    >90

Hypertensive Crises              >180                   and/or                             >120

 

Now, tell me, have you been checking your blood pressure accurately, or you have been making some errors?