It may seem simple to check your blood pressure at the comfort of your own home. Just wrap the cuff around the arm, press the button and take note of the readings. According to Dr PramodTripathi, even small habits can cause readings to be distorted. In an Instagram video he listed “Extremely Common 10 Mistakes People Make While Checking BP At Home, Telling Them From Bottom To Top For Easy Memory (sic). His advice is surprisingly useful but easy to overlook. He begins with posture. “Number 1, keeping your feet in the air is incorrect. Keep your feet flat on the floor. Number two, crisscrossing your feet can also increase your BP. “Number 3, keep your bladder full. Always empty your bladder before you check your BP.” Even the back support can affect readings. The number four mistake is to keep your back straight and upright. You should keep your spine relaxed. Clothing and cuff placement is another common mistake. “Number five: Always fold the clothes under the cuff. Number six, place the tube on the inside and not the outside. Number seven, support your arm at the level of the heart. Not below, nor above. “Number 8, avoid talking when you are taking your blood pressure. Number nine, you must drink tea or coffee at least 30 minutes before checking your blood pressure. Number 10, not being stressed, or having exercised after. You must be relaxed. When taking BP, take two readings and average them. The ideal BP is below 130/80.” “The upper reading is called systolic,” he explains. If your BP is rising, which is diastolic, this could be a sign that the arteries are becoming stiffer as you age. If your lower BP rises, this is diastolic. This means that the smaller arteries away from the heart also get tighter due to more insulin or sympathetic nerve system stimulation. This is stress or sodium. If the difference between your upper and lower BPs is greater than 60, it could lead to heart problems. Let me know if you need any more videos on managing blood pressure. But before you do, avoid these 10 mistakes.”Story Continues Below This AdHow much can small errors in posture and positioning alter blood pressure measurements?Kanikka malhotra is a consultant dietician and diabetes education. She told indianexpress.com that “Posture errors and positioning errors can drastically change home blood pressure results, often by 5-20mmHg. That’s enough for hypertension to be misdiagnosed or masked.” Slouching can increase systolic blood pressure by 6-10mmHg because of increased cardiac workload. Crossed or dangling legs can increase systolic pressure by 4-8 mmHg due to the reduced venous return. Hydrostatic pressure can cause readings to spike by 10-20 mmHg when an arm is positioned below the heart level.
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She says that the most important factor is to keep the feet flat on a floor with the knees and thighs at 90 degrees and the back supported by a chair. “Always use an upper arm that is bare and positioned at the heart level. No tight clothing should be worn.” A proper setup can help prevent false positives of 15-30%, which allows for accurate self-monitoring,” says Malhotra. If you have consistently high readings at home, it is time to consult a doctor. Early intervention can help prevent serious health problems such as stroke or heart disease. Check your blood pressure two times daily (morning & evening) after you have sat quietly for 5 minutes. Seek medical advice if the weekly average is higher than 135/85mmHg or if readings are frequently above 140/90mmHg. This can include lifestyle changes, such as dietary changes, increased activity or medication. If you have a reading over 180/120 mmHg seek immediate emergency care, especially if it is accompanied by dizziness or severe headaches, chest pains, or breathlessness,” says Malhotra. She recommends taking readings twice a day for a week to distinguish between a temporary spike due to stress, caffeine or measurement errors and sustained hypertension. Calculate the average and ignore obvious outliers. Temporary spikes are more likely to fluctuate, and correlate with triggers. However, sustained hypertension remains elevated under ideal conditions. “Keep a written journal to identify patterns, and share it with the doctor. If clinic anxiety is suspected, they may recommend ambulatory monitoring (24-hour monitoring). Early detection is crucial. Avoid self-adjusting medications without professional guidance. Disclaimer: This article was based on public domain information and/or experts we spoke with. Consult your doctor before beginning any new routine.