Blood pressure is the amount of force exerted through the blood circulation on the blood vessel walls and forms one of the major fundamental signs of human body. The pressure caused by blood circulation is lowered down as the blood flows through arteries, veins, arterioles and capillaries. The word blood pressure usually refers to the pressure in the arteries. Arterial pressure is normally measured through a sphygmomanometer. The function of this device is for measuring blood pressure by getting mercury column height to show the pressure produced by the blood circulation.
In measuring blood pressure in clinics and hospitals, nurses put fancy inflatable blood pressure cuff on the arm and measure it directly by putting pressure gauge in an artery.
The cuff that is being used is responsible for putting pressure on the artery in the arm. It is inflated so that the pressure will stop the flow of blood and the air is slowly let off while stethoscope is being placed also in the arm to listen if the blood starts to flow again. The moment when the nurses hear blood flows, the pressure in the cuff should be equal to the blood pressure in the artery. If it’s not equal and higher than the normal, you may be suffering from hypertension.
Before measuring blood pressure, you must consider the do’s and don’ts to get a better and accurate result on your BP measuring. Don’t use alcohol, caffeine and tobacco 30 minutes before doing the procedure, go to the bathroom and rest for 3 to 5 minutes without talking, sit comfortably and place your arm raised to the level of the heart, wrap the cuff correctly in your arm and make sure that the bottom edge of the cuff is 1 inch above your elbow.
This method can also be done in your home. You can use digital monitoring device or an aneroid monitor. The digital monitor can be used manually or automatically cuffs and flashes the result on a small screen. An aneroid monitor has a dial gauge that can be read by looking at a pointer that works when measuring BP. The advantage of using aneroid monitor is that it can easily be carried from one place to another. This device has its own stethoscope attached in it and it is less expensive than digital monitors while digital monitor is automatic.
Measuring BP doesn’t take much of your time. With a few minutes of your time, you become aware whether you are maintaining a normal BP or not and if not, you may easily take necessary actions to normalize the blood pressure and will help avoid the risks for hypertension.
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