Blood Pressure Monitor Use At Home
As Americans are faced with increasing incidences of high blood pressure and hypertension, the importance of understanding how to stay healthy is more important than ever. There are certain risk factors that we need to be aware of, but the most important thing we can do is to monitor our blood pressure, both at home and through visits with the primary care doctor.
When discovering that one has high blood pressure – anything over 140/90, the doctor will give plenty of tools for you to use to help decrease and monitor your blood pressure. If ignored, the results are genuinely deadly. It is imperative to take the doctors advise for lowering your blood pressure and for making sure the numbers are decreasing.
To get your blood pressure lower or under control there are some things that will be need to be done working together with your doctor. You will do a stress test to see your heart function and to make sure you are in no imminent danger and along with that exercise suited to your needs, a diet to follow and if he deems necessary medication.
Once you change your lifestyle, you will need to make sure that your changes are effective. You will learn how to use a blood pressure monitor at home to track and record the fluctuations in your body with your blood pressure. Work with a professional to make sure you are doing it accurately so that you can protect your health.
Blood pressure monitors for home come in two types which are the fingertip or wrist monitor. They are not the best because they tend to be very inaccurate making the standardized cuff monitor a much better choice.
The standard monitors are available in two styles. The first is the aneroid monitors; think of the kind in a child’s doctor kit, that spin when the cuff is filled with air. These are the least expensive of the two models, but they do have a downside. They are very sensitive and will break easily. You will also need a stethoscope to listen for your pressure.
More popular are digital blood pressure monitors. Although a little more expensive, this type of monitor is also more robust, durable and usually is equipped with functions like memory to store and track blood pressure readings. Some models can even print out the information.
These monitors vary in price, but get the best model you can afford. This will provide you with more accurate results, and the monitor will last longer as well. Can you really put a price on your health?
Make sure to work in conjunction with your physician to make sure you are getting accurate readings. Keep a record of the results, so your doctor can know ahead of time if you are at risk for other problems. Keeping a blood pressure monitor on hand will be an effective way to keep yourself in the best health.