To measure your blood pressure at home you need the right device that is suited to your needs. There are numerous benefits to measuring at home which make it easier to become part of your daily routine and stay on top of your heart health.
What is the best/right blood pressure monitor for you?
Selecting the right blood pressure monitor for you is important, as you will be using it regularly and you want to make sure it makes monitoring your heart health simple. The two main categories of blood pressure monitors are wrist monitors and upper arm blood pressure monitors.
A wrist blood pressure monitor is generally more compact to carry around but is considered less accurate and is less recommended by medical professionals. Then there is the upper arm blood pressure monitor which is what your doctor uses and recommends. QardioArm is a wireless upper arm cuff that is clinically validated to take your blood pressure reading with medical accuracy and is compact and portable.
Steps for checking your blood pressure at home
Follow these guidelines to ensure you get the most accurate reading when you measure your blood pressure at home. Don’t measure your blood pressure right after you wake up and if you exercise after waking, take your blood pressure beforehand. Avoid food, caffeine, tobacco, and alcohol for 30 minutes, and don’t take your medications before taking a measurement. Go to the toilet first as a full bladder can increase blood pressure slightly. It is best to sit quietly before and during monitoring.
When you’re ready to take your blood pressure, sit for five minutes in a comfortable position with your legs and ankles uncrossed and your back supported against a chair, and don’t talk during measurement. Try and always use the same arm when taking your blood pressure and rest your arm, raised to the level of your heart, on a table, desk, or chair arm. You might need to place a pillow or cushion under your arm to elevate it high enough. Ensure the cuff is placed on bare skin, not over clothing, and be aware that rolling up a sleeve until it tightens around your arm can result in an inaccurate reading, so you may need to slip your arm out of the sleeve.
Do it at the same time in the day so you can build it into part of your routine. And it means the readings are more accurate and representative. QardioArm has a reminders functionality to help keep you on track with taking measurements as and when you need to make it easy to measure blood pressure at home.
For information regarding your blood pressure reading, check our guide ”Blood pressure: What is normal blood pressure?”
Why is it important to create a routine and keep an eye on your blood pressure?
Heart disease is the world’s biggest killer, and it shows no symptoms, making it hard to know if there is a problem. The only way to know is to measure your blood pressure regularly. Measuring your heart health is really important for yourself and your family. QardioArm has multiple features to make it simple and easy for users to monitor their blood pressure, which is why it is 4x more effective at lowering blood pressure than traditional monitors.
Sources
The Mayo Clinic
QardioArm Study
