A blood pressure monitor is used for checking your blood pressure.
We have all heard about blood pressure, but how many of us know what it
actually is? The force that is exerted by blood on the walls of the
arteries and veins when flowing through them is referred to as blood
pressure.
Blood running with a higher force accounts for a
high blood pressure and can cause heart attacks and strokes. High blood
pressure is very common, it is known as the silent killer, as it hardly
has any symptoms but can cause prove fatal. If you consume tobacco,
alcohol, salt and fat foods in great quantities and suffer from stress,
you risk developing a high blood pressure.
Now, do you
realize why monitoring your blood pressure is so essential? This is
precisely here that the blood pressure monitor comes in handy. On
reaching your 50s, you should start checking your blood pressure often
and keep a watch on the pressure measures. If you find the pressure
rising, then keep measuring frequently and see if it is increasing
more. This will help you decide if you require treatment.
All
of you, who prefer going to the doctor for checking your blood
pressure, act mature. It is not feasible to go to the doctor several
times a day if you have a high blood pressure and need to measure it
for a few times a day. Therefore, go get yourself a blood pressure
monitor, which will be a convenient option.
Types Of Blood Pressure Monitors
There
are generally two kinds of blood pressure monitors. One is digital and
another is manual. Today, however, the digital blood pressure monitor
is high in demand. It does not use a hand bulb to pump air into the
cuff like the manual blood pressure monitor.
The Digital Device
The
blood pressure monitor, the digital make, is a small device and looks
like a cell phone. It can be worn on the belt that is attached to a
wrist cuff. You measure your blood pressure and record the readings;
this helps your doctor to make a chart for your treatment in case you
require one. The best part is that you can conveniently wear the device
underneath your clothes and thus conceal it from view.
The
device can be easily operated by your own self and is easily available
at the pharmacies, drug stores and medical supply outlets.
How Does The Blood Pressure Monitor Work?
The
soft arm cuff of the blood pressure monitor is wrapped around your
upper arm, just above the elbow. Usually, the cuff is placed on the
left arm. You need to push a button and the battery operated models
pulse air automatically. The arm cuff tightens and the flow of blood is
interrupted. The pressure gauge then increases and reaches the peak.
When
the cuff is deflated, the pressure gauge starts decreasing. You must
know that the reading that appears on the pressure gauge on hearing the
pulse for the first time is known as the systolic pressure and the
reading noted when the pulse cannot be heard for the first time is the
diastolic pressure.
What You Need To Do?
You need
to sit in an erect and relaxed posture. Make sure the cuff is placed on
the bare arm. Never take a blood pressure reading after exercising. Do
not consume nicotine or caffeine rich products and do not take in
alcohol before taking a blood pressure measurement with the blood
pressure monitor.