Here's something you may not know about blood pressure, which might help you win a game of Jeopardy someday: The familiar device that's used to measure your blood pressure is called a sphygmomanometer.
But an even more important fact to know about your blood pressure is that keeping regular tabs on it - at your doctor's office and at home - can protect you from heart disease and stroke and may even save your life. As your blood pressure goes higher, your risk of dying from heart disease or stroke goes up. With each 20-point rise in your systolic blood pressure (the top number in your reading), your risk of dying of heart disease or stroke doubles.
The Importance of Keeping Tabs on Your Blood Pressure
According to the National Institutes of Health (NIH), when healthy adults measure their blood pressure, here's what the results mean. All numbers are given in mm Hg, which is the standard way to provide blood pressure readings:
| |
|
Systolic (Top Number)
|
Diastolic (Bottom Number) |
|
|
| Normal |
Less than 120
|
Less than 80
|
| Prehypertension |
120 to 139
|
80-89
|
| High Blood Pressure (Stage 1) |
140 to 159
|
90-99
|
| High Blood Pressure (Stage 2) |
160 or Higher
|
100 or Higher
|
|
 |
If your blood pressure is normal, your doctor should check it every two years. If you have prehypertension, which raises your risk of high blood pressure, you should have it rechecked in a year. If your doctor puts you on a high blood pressure medication, you may need to return to the office each month until you reach your goal. Once you're holding steady at your goal, you may need to return to have your blood pressure checked two to four times a year.
If your health care provider is going to check your blood pressure, the NIH recommends the following steps to help ensure that the reading is accurate:
- Avoid caffeinated drinks like coffee and also abstain from smoking for 30 minutes before the measurement.
- Sit comfortably for five minutes before the measurement with your feet flat on the floor, your back supported, and your arm resting at the level of your heart.
- Wear short sleeves.
- Urinate before the measurement, since having a full bladder can affect the reading.
How to Measure Your Blood Pressure at Home
Keeping tabs on your blood pressure at home may be helpful. If you're taking medications or you're making lifestyle changes to treat high blood pressure, at-home checks can show you if these steps are working. In addition, sometimes people's blood pressure is unusually high or low when they're at the doctor's office, and checking it at home can provide a fuller picture.
If you decide to monitor your blood pressure at home, keep these suggestions in mind:
- Follow the steps listed above to improve the accuracy of the reading.
- Use a device that goes on your arm - these are more accurate than those that go on your wrist or finger.
- Talk to your doctor about which option would be best for you: an aneroid monitor, which features a hand-inflated cuff, a stethoscope, and a dial readout; or the more popular digital monitor, which may have an automatically inflated cuff, as well as easier-to-read numbers and results that don't require listening to your pulse through a stethoscope. Both options have strengths and drawbacks.
- Be sure the monitor has the proper-sized cuff, which is needed for accuracy. Your health care provider or pharmacist can advise you on choosing the right cuff.
- Don't rely on the free blood pressure devices set up in supermarkets and other stores - they may not be properly maintained.
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