How to Read Blood Pressure – 7 Steps That Will Help You Read the Results

Everyone, especially those who are at risk of developing heart ailments, must learn how to read blood pressure.  This is very important because it helps you in monitoring your health.  You no longer have to go to the doctor every now and then just to have your blood pressure checked.  Here are some essential details that you should do and know when reading blood pressure.

Steps to Take to Accurately Read Blood Pressure

Before taking blood pressure, there are two terms that you should keep in mind.  One is Systolic Blood Pressure which is the highest pressure on the arteries when the heart pumps blood.  The other is the Diastolic Blood Pressure which is the lowest pressure on the arteries as the heart relaxes before it contracts again.  These are the things that you measure when taking blood pressure.

Read Blood Pressure

Step 1. Let the patient sit on a chair or lie on a bed or wherever he is comfortable.  Take one arm of the patient and let it rest on a table or on the bed.  Ensure that the arm’s level is the same with the heart. Likewise, you should also make sure that the palm is facing up.

Step 2. Locate the brachial artery. This is typically about an inch above the arm’s crease then place the cuff above it.  You must see to it that you do not wrap the cuff too tight. Place a finger in between the arm and the cuff.

Step 3. Put on the stethoscope’s earpiece and place the disk on the brachial artery.  Fasten the air valve that is commonly found on the inflating bulb of the gadget.  Quickly squeeze in the bulb to allow the cuff’s inflation.  You can stop compressing when dial gauge’s pointer reaches 150 mm hg.

Step 4. Slowly release the gadget’s air valve while listening to a sound in the stethoscope and watching the pointer carefully.  The deflation should be done at least 2 mm hg per second.

Step 5. As you are deflating the cuff, you should hear a sound (a pulsing one) and with that the pointer will slightly nudge on a number found on the gauge.  This denotes your systolic pressure.

Step 6. Continue deflating the cuff gradually.  As you do this, that pulsing sound you will hear in the stethoscope will grow fainter to a point that you will no longer hear it.  Look at the particular number where the hand of the pointer is even before the final sound fades.  This will then denote your diastolic pressure.

Step 7. Allow the rest of the air in the cuff to be released.  Note the patient’s blood pressure by placing the systolic pressure over the diastolic pressure.

Reading the Blood Pressure Testing Result

The blood pressure (BP) of a person can have four ranges.  A healthy BP has less than 120 systolic and less than 80 diastolic.  Prehypertension BP has a systolic range of 120-139 and a diastolic range of 80-89.  The first hypertension stage is denoted by 140 to 159 systolic and 90 to 99 diastolic.  Second stage of hypertension has readings of more than 160 systolic and more than 100 diastolic.  When the result is under 100 systolic and under 60 diastolic, this denotes low blood pressure

Now that you know how to read blood pressure, it will be easy for you to monitor you condition.  You just have to pay close attention to the synchronization of the sound and the pointer to accurately record results.  Once the result is not within the normal range, you have to go see your doctor.

In case these tips on how to read blood pressure is hard enough for you to follow, you can always run to a nurse or doctor for help. At least they can also help monitor your condition. If you trust your instincts once you have undergone the steps on measuring blood pressure, though, you can pursue finding products that will regulate it. You can use the products listed in this page as your reference high blood pressure treatment.