A blood pressure screening is important because high blood pressure usually has no symptoms and cannot be detected without being measured.
High blood pressure increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. Be screened for blood pressure once every two years, starting at age 20. If the blood pressure is too high, a doctor may want it checked more often. Get your blood pressure checked as often as possible and keep a running list of blood pressures so you can see if there is a trend upwards or downwards or if you are fairly stable.
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What is A Blood pressure test?
A blood pressure test is used to note down the pressure in your arteries as your heartbeats. A blood pressure test will be performed as part of a normal doctor’s visit or as a screening for excessive blood pressure (hypertension). Some people use a blood pressure test at home to keep a closer check on their heart health.
Why it’s done
Most doctor’s appointments include a blood pressure check. Blood pressure checks are a vital aspect of maintaining your overall health. Start understanding when you should have your blood pressure checked.
- People over 18 who have normal blood pressure and no risk factors for heart disease should get their blood pressure checked every two to five years.
- Every year, those aged 40 and above — or younger people with a higher risk of high blood pressure — should get their blood pressure checked. Obesity and race are both risk factors for high blood pressure.
- Blood pressure testing is perhaps required more often in chronic health issues such as high or low blood pressure or heart disease.
Your doctor can suggest you check your blood pressure at home. Home blood pressure monitors that are automated and simple to use are available.
Some of them will still be connected to your computer or mobile, allowing you to send data to an online medical record easily. Talk to your doctor to see whether this is a viable choice for you.
Try to keep a blood pressure journal at home and have your doctor double-check your monitor once a year to ensure you’re getting correct readings. The routine of blood pressure monitoring at home isn’t a replacement for doctor appointments.
What affects a blood pressure reading?
Several factors, including: can influence your blood pressure like:
- You’re worried about having your blood pressure taken. This is called “white coat syndrome.” One in three patients with high blood pressure in the hospital emergency room may have normal blood pressure outside the clinic.
- Before your reading, what you ate, drank, or did. Your blood pressure level gets higher if you smoked, consumed alcohol or caffeine, or exercised within 30 minutes of having it taken.
- Your sitting posture. Your blood pressure can be raised while sitting on crossed legs and allowing your arm to drop at your side rather than resting on a table at chest height.
It is advisable to have an accurate blood pressure reading so you can see how much of a danger you are for heart disease and stroke.
This measurement indicates that your blood pressure is lower may offer you false hope about your health. A result that indicates your blood pressure is greater than it is might lead to additional therapy.
When is best to take your blood pressure?
It’s a good idea to check your blood pressure at least twice a day because it varies throughout the day. You can acquire an accurate reading by taking your blood pressure many times during the day.
Choosing times that work for you
You and your daily activity determine the optimal times to check your blood pressure. It’s critical to choose hours that you can commit to every day.
Monitoring your blood pressure includes taking your blood pressure simultaneously every day, and it can assist ensure that your day’s happenings don’t influence the readings you take.
You may choose times when you know you’ll be at home and won’t be disturbed. You may check your blood pressure before you go to work, when you come home from work, and before you go to bed, for example.
Conclusion
The key to preventing cardiovascular disease is to manage risk factors, such as high blood pressure, high total cholesterol, or high blood glucose. If you have heart disease you can consult through a doctor can screen for the risk factors and help form a plan to manage them.
FAQs
What is the safest blood pressure medication with the least side effects?
While the class of blood pressure-lowering medicines called angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors may be prescribed more commonly, angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) work just as well and may cause fewer side effects.
Is the first or second blood pressure reading more accurate?
At both sampling intervals, the second readings were significantly lower than the first readings, and the third readings were significantly lower than the first and the second readings. Similar trends were observed for morning diastolic BP (DBP) and evening systolic BP (SBP)/DBP.
When should you take your blood pressure again?
Wait for one to three minutes after the first reading, and then take another to check accuracy. Write them down if your monitor doesn’t automatically log blood pressure readings or heart rates.
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