When should you take blood pressure?

Welcome to the world of blood pressure monitoring! At some point in your life, you’ve probably had a device wrapped around your arm that tightened and then slowly released as a healthcare professional scribbled numbers for your systolic and diastolic blood pressures. But do you really understand what those numbers mean? And more importantly, when should you be taking regular measurements at home or elsewhere?

Why Monitor Blood Pressure?

Before we dive into the good stuff, let’s give credit where credit is due. Your cardiovascular system comprises a massively complex network of arteries, veins, organs (hello heart), and cells working together to keep oxygenated blood pumping through your body like a charming water wheel.

High blood pressure (hypertension) is often called “the silent killer” because it often goes undetected and can contribute to major health problems such as stroke, heart attack or failure (yikes). Low blood pressure (hypotension) isn’t quite as dramatic but still requires medical attention if symptomatic(like dizziness upon standing up—don’t worry it’s not just that spin rollercoaster making an appearance again).

What Do the Numbers Mean?

When measuring blood pressure two numbers get recorded because there are actually two different readings taking place:

• Systolic
• Diastolic

The systolic number represents the amount of force being exerted against arterial walls when your heart beats; whereas diastolic measures how much pressure exists within arterial walls between beats.

Normal/healthy adult usually has their values below 120/80 mmHg so aim towards being couple points under this range(because who doesn’t love beating expectations!).

Reasons To Use A Blood Pressure Monitor

There are few reasons why people will use monitory at home which could include:

High Risk Of Developing Hypertension

If you have a family history of hypertension, or if your own lifestyle factors indicate higher risk (like being overweight, sedentary etc.), preventative monitoring could be worth it!

Monitoring Your Medications

If you already know that you have hypertension or are currently taking medications to manage your blood pressure levels. Consult with doctor while doing so because they know how much medication should be taken and what type at what times.

Simply Curious

There’s nothing wrong in checking the numbers for fun – Well maybe once but no more than necessary( I’m sure there will definitely be atleast a few people who might take up this reason)

How To Properly Measure Blood Pressure At Home

To achieve reliable readings at home, stick to these guidelines:

1. Go on an empty stomach
2. Do not drink caffeine for 30 minutes prior
3. Use the bathroom before measuring
4. Relax in a seated position for minimum 5-10 mins before measurement.
5. Place cuffs properly over region suggested by devices’ manual.
6. Make sure devices cuff aligns just above elbow joint(right hand in case measuring left arm).
7. Press start on device; avoid moving/talking during interval.
   8.Record your measurements.

Remember that there is always slight fluctuation in daily blood pressure readings and only self-monitored data alone cannot diagnose someone with either low/high BP but rather used as supplement.

When Is The Best Times Measuring Blood Pressure?

Now that we’ve covered why we need it, what numbers mean & when precautions should be taken let’s discuss best time to measure shall we?

Here’re some scenarios where taking record makes sense:

Early Morning Before Breakfast

It seems like most articles out already hint towards morning sessions from testimonials of several customers claiming they get better results which stands true scientifically as well(More studies needed though). This timing aligning right after overnight body maintenance process allows us to have best yet most consistent readings.

Before Bedtime

Another popular timing mentioned is right before bedtime but mostly prescribed to those specifically requested by doctor due to expected spikes. Night always gets the blood boiling it seems!

How Often Should You Measure Blood Pressure?

Ideally, you would want a professional Annual check-up in which BP is included on measures list just for rule of thumb kind of sorting if anything alarming happens that very moment.
If your BP starts fluctuating then making lifestyle changes such as exercising, reducing salt intake or controlling stress are top priorities alongside ongoing measurement(s) regulation until consistent threshold goal becomes steady & maintainable(the key takeaway here).

Different people may require varying frequency – this listed below can be regarded as generalization not one size fit all :

• Once Per Month (pre-hypertensive patients)
• Twice A Week (patients with slightly elevated levels)
• As often as prescribed by physician ((longterm hypertensive patient)

Remember no matter how frequently monitoring happens it should only be used for supplement tool advised from a medical professionals diagnosis and advice (No home experimentations please!)

Conclusion

Blood pressure is an intricate aspect of our bodies we need constant attention towards. Rituals such has daily exercise routines, healthy diets or basic peace seeking techniques like meditation amongst other self-imposed behavioral regulations will help boost body’s longevity.

Regular measurements both professionally and at home can also assist in keeping hypertension/hypotension risk under control.Just don’t forget using appropriate technique and taking precautions beforehand could make whole process worthy while avoiding unnaturally high/low records without proper reasoning behind them again emphasizing consulting doctors’ opinion needs to be at top priority. Happy measuring!