1. Choose a suitable blood pressure monitor and cuff:
It is generally recommended to use an electronic blood pressure monitor, which is simple to operate and easy to read.
Choose a suitable cuff according to your own situation. Too large or too small will affect the accuracy of blood pressure measurement. For example, people with larger arm circumference need to choose a larger cuff.
2. Preparation before measurement:
Choose a suitable measurement time. It is best to measure in the morning after getting up, before lunch and before dinner, and avoid measuring immediately after a meal or after exercise. It is recommended to fix the measurement time every day to effectively monitor the actual situation of blood pressure. For example, for people with dipper blood pressure, blood pressure can be measured between 6:00-8:00 in the morning and 14:00-15:00 in the afternoon every day; for people with non-dipper blood pressure, on the basis of fixing the above time, it is best to monitor blood pressure for 24 hours.
Rest for at least 5-15 minutes before measuring, avoid exercise, smoking, drinking, strong tea or coffee, etc., keep your mood relaxed, avoid tension or anxiety, otherwise it may excite the sympathetic nerves and cause blood pressure to rise.
Go to the bathroom before measuring, holding urine will have a certain impact on blood pressure.
Make sure the blood pressure monitor is fully charged and the display is clear.
3. Measurement posture:
You can choose to sit or lie down for measurement.
When sitting, sit on a chair with a backrest, with your feet naturally on the ground, put the upper arm with the cuff on the table, the cuff should be on the same horizontal line with the heart, keep your back straight, and do not twist or move your body to ensure the accuracy of the measurement results; the arm should be supported on the table, flush with the heart, do not cross your legs or stack your feet, open your palms, and do not clench your fists.
When lying, stretch your arms and lay them flat beside your body. Note that your arms should be flat, abducted at a 45-degree angle, and kept parallel to the heart. Do not measure half-lying.
4. Wearing of the cuff:
For upper arm electronic blood pressure monitors, the lower edge of the cuff should be 2-3 cm away from the elbow fossa. The tightness of the cuff should be moderate, so that one or two fingers can be inserted. The cuff should be close to the upper arm without any gaps. Avoid being too tight, too loose to slip down to the elbow, or leaving gaps, otherwise the measurement results may be distorted.
The arm should be exposed during measurement. If you are wearing a thicker top, do not roll up your long sleeves during measurement. Take off the top and only wear thin clothes to measure, so as not to affect blood flow and cause inaccurate measurement values.
Make sure the sensor in the cuff is in the correct position. Some cuffs have a small black dot to remind you that the point should be aligned with the pulsation of the brachial artery during measurement. Some cuffs are marked with a triangle, which should face the palm position.
5. During the measurement process:
Turn on the sphygmomanometer switch, make sure the sphygmomanometer is in standby mode, insert the tracheal plug on the sphygmomanometer cuff into the tracheal jack of the sphygmomanometer host, press the start button to start the measurement, and the sphygmomanometer will automatically inflate and slowly deflate for measurement. During the measurement process, relax your arms, do not talk or move your arms, and do not use mobile phones or other devices that emit electromagnetic fields to avoid interfering with the measurement of the sphygmomanometer.
Acute internal bleeding may occur due to squeezing of the arms during measurement. Patients with severe blood circulation disorders and blood diseases should use it under the guidance of a doctor.
6. Number of measurements and values:
It is recommended to perform two or more consecutive blood pressure measurements, with an interval of 1-2 minutes between each measurement, and record the results of each measurement. For patients with hypertension who are newly diagnosed or have unstable blood pressure, it is recommended to measure blood pressure 2-3 times every morning and evening for 7 consecutive days, and take the average value; if blood pressure is stable and meets the standard, you can choose 1-2 days a week to measure blood pressure, once in the morning and once in the evening.
If the difference between the systolic and diastolic blood pressure values measured twice is > 5mmHg, you need to measure it for the third time after 2 minutes, and take the average of the three measurements.
7. Others:
Self-diagnosis and treatment based on the measurement results are risky, and you should follow the doctor's instructions.
Electronic blood pressure monitors may be affected by the aging of components and need to be calibrated once a year on average.
Do not over-pressurize the cuff to avoid bruising or numbness in the arm.
Do not use mobile phones or other devices that emit electromagnetic fields near the blood pressure monitor.
Do not disassemble or modify the body or cuff of the blood pressure monitor by yourself.
