Blood Pressure Monitors

Blood pressure is one of the vital signs of health and hence very often you see the doctors recommending healthy lifestyles and diets in order to maintain normal blood pressure. Maintaining a normal blood pressure level means reducing the risks of further ailments, chronic diseases and related complications. Blood pressure can be measured or monitored using several devices. This article aims to help you get all the information you need about blood pressure monitors.

Basics Concepts Related to Blood Pressure

Before we get to know about the blood pressure monitors or methods to measure blood pressure, it is important to get our basics right. So, first let us go over some basic concepts related to blood pressure. The pressure or force exerted by the blood on the blood vessel walls is defined as blood pressure, however medically blood pressure counts generally refer to the arterial pressure, which is essentially the blood pressure in the arteries that take the blood away from the heart. Generally blood pressure is measured in two different entities namely the systolic and the diastolic pressure. Arterial blood pressure is measured during the cardiac cycle, which includes the beginning phase and the resting phase. The systolic pressure is the highest or the peak pressure present in the beginning of the cardiac cycle whereas diastolic pressure is the lowest pressure, which is during the resting phase of the cardiac cycle.

Normal Range Blood Pressure

So often we hear people suffering from cases of high blood pressure or even low blood pressure, this means that people who suffer from high/low blood pressure have a blood pressure value, which largely deviates from the standard normal blood pressure range. Generally a systolic blood pressure in the range of 115- 120, and a diastolic blood pressure in the range of 75-80 is considered to be normal. There are three main types of blood pressure ranges, which serve as benchmarks for us to analyze our blood pressure values these are as follows:

• Pre-Hypertension: Blood Pressure Range ~ Systolic (120-139) and Diastolic (80-89)
• Stage One Hypertension: Blood Pressure Range ~ Systolic (140- 159) and Diastolic( 90-99)
• Stage Two Hypertension: Blood Pressure Range ~ Systolic( 160 or higher) and diastolic (100 or higher)

It is often the high blood pressure which we come across more frequently as a blood pressure problem however low blood pressure is also a matter of concern. In case your blood pressure drops down too acutely and you observe symptoms like dizziness, fatigue, depression, nausea, blurred vision, difficulty in concentration and fainting, then you should know it is time to seek medical help.

Blood Pressure Monitors

There are two main types of blood pressure monitors, which are manual blood pressure monitors, and digital blood pressure monitors.

Manual Blood Pressure Monitors: Manual blood pressure monitors often have a stethoscope and an inflatable arm cuff, which are connected by rubber tube to a gauge, which is used to record the blood pressure. In order to use this manual blood pressure monitor, one has to manually inflate the arm cuff. Not only that the measurement is also recorded manually with the stethoscope, wherein a person needs to listen to the benchmark arterial blood sounds and count the heart rate. The manual blood pressure monitors are no doubt cheaper than the digital ones, but can only be used by a person who is trained in using the stethoscope to measure blood pressure. However in case you want to familiarize yourself with this technique, you can request an appropriate person like your doctor or may be a nurse to guide you through the process.

Digital Blood Pressure Monitors: Digital blood pressure monitors, are easy to handle and just use an arm cuff and a gauge to record the blood pressure. These devices are generally easy to use since recording the blood pressure can be done by just the click of a button. The first advantage of a digital blood pressure monitor is the fact that the arm cuff is automatically inflated and the second advantage is the fact that the device automatically calculates heart rate and measures your blood pressure. After you have taken the reading, the arm cuffs deflate automatically as well. The devices that measure the blood pressure from the finger or the wrist are usually not recommended.

Monitoring Blood Pressure on Your Own

Today a large number of people have their personal blood pressure monitor at home that gives them the advantage of checking their blood pressure regularly at their own convenience. However, before you start monitoring your blood pressure at home, make sure you get an accurate device and familiarize yourself with the working of the device. Most often these devices come with an information booklet, which is a simple guide for you to accustom yourself with the right techniques of measuring blood pressure. In case you are not confident about using the blood pressure monitor even after reading the booklet, it is better to get a demo from a doctor or the place where you got the machine.

It is important to get the blood pressure monitoring device from an authentic dealer or a reliable fitness equipment shop. While recording blood pressure, you need to make sure that you are using the proper sized cuff. In case of children and adults with smaller or larger than average size arms – look for special sized arm cuffs, which will help you, take an accurate reading. Keep a simple chart, which includes the normal blood pressure range, and make additional columns to record your blood pressure regularly. Monitoring the blood pressure at home also allows you to keep a tab of your progress in case you are under specific treatment for blood pressure problems. Even if you are not suffering from blood pressure problems you can check your blood pressure levels regularly to make sure your normal blood pressure levels are maintained. In addition to this, having a blood pressure monitor at home always reduces the time and money spent in going down to the hospital to get your blood pressure checked.

If this topic interests you, you might want to read about Diet tips for Blood Pressure

Check out my other guide on Polar Heart Monitors