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Low Blood Pressure

admin — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:17:56 +0000

An important reason why you should have blood pressure measured is to monitor if it is still at normal level or not. You should usually check it to know that you have high or low blood pressure and often notice your health to prevent symptoms and fatal diseases.

Types of Blood Pressure

When blood is squeezed to your arteries, pressure will be increased, called systolic pressure. When the pressure in arteries falls, on the other hand, it’s called diastolic pressure. To measure your blood pressure means both pressures are checked.

However, the level of blood pressure depends on your activities in that time. For example, high blood pressure happens when you are exercising or worried about something while your blood pressure is slow while you sleep or stay in relaxing environment. Thus in a single day, your blood pressure might alter by 30-40 mmHg between systolic and diastolic pressure and that’s why you should assess your blood pressure at the same time and under the same conditions every time.

You can check your blood pressure at hospital with physicians or nurses but there is another easy way to know how your blood pressure is by using semi-digital/digital blood pressure monitors for home use to check by yourself.

Low Blood Pressure Symptoms

Low blood pressure, or called hypotension, usually affects your brain first because it has to push blood to the top of the body against gravity. If your blood pressure is too low, you might be light-headed or dizzy when you stand rapidly. This can cause someone faint and fall to the ground which is dangerous for brain.

Low blood pressure, besides, sometimes leads to lack of breath, chest pain and oxygen for brain due to insufficient blood to heart muscle. If these above symptoms still occur for a while, other organs will breakdown because of consistently low. Finally, it will become a shock and might harm other organs too. Skin, hands and feet might change into blue and cold.

Do I have low blood pressure?

If you often feel dizzy or faint when you stand, perhaps you might have some indications of low blood pressure. Please consult with your doctor to further check your health by physical tests or suggest you to other specialists to have detailed investigation, especially adrenal gland and nerves.

Treatment of Low Blood Pressure

Some drugs can cause malfunction of blood pressure and you need to change that medicine, particularly alpha blocker (doxazosin). Moreover, you should avoid quickly get up and stand as well as replace missing hormones your body lacks.

In some case, if you have trouble with nerves then using some drugs to stimulate the nervous system can help you get better. Elastic stockings, anti-gravity suit, taking hormones, having more salt can also cure the symptoms of low blood pressure.

In recent years, new researches have proved that low blood pressure under 90mmHg is irrelevant with depression and tiredness. It is suggested that you should talk to your doctor or find more information before joining any treatment.

Remember that usual blood pressure measurement is important for one who has abnormal blood pressure. You can put it into your routine or weekly schedule to have it monitored by doctors or yourself (using blood pressure machines) to realize your state of health.

High Blood Pressure

admin — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:13:20 +0000

High blood pressure or ‘hypertension’ is one of fatal causes leading to heart attack, stroke, heart failure and kidney failure. Increasing millions of people are now facing the risk of high blood pressure. Anyway, there are rarely symptoms to warn you in advance, thus you have to often measure your blood pressure to check if it is at normal level or not. The high blood pressure reading is 140/90mmHg or above that could narrow and choke blood vessels up. Moreover, it is also dangerous if blood clots (hardens from liquid to solid form) inside blood vessels flow into vein or artery because it could injure legs, heart or brain. Anyway, you could save yourself by checking your blood pressure to lower or maintain it at regular level while decrease risk of heart disease and other harms.

First of all, you should change lifestyle little by little to drop or control your blood pressure. You might eat healthy food, starting diet, reduce salty food, being right weight, quite smoking or usually exercise. Also taking some prescription drugs and medicines could help you get better. One of several things and activities you could do yourself is blood pressure measurement at home.

Blood pressure monitors for home use are sale at affordable price at many online shopping stores such as Amazon and authorized dealers which also provide delivery service to your door. Reliable blood pressure machines are Omron M6, Omron M7, Omron M10, A+D instruments and Microlife. Check it out from our blood pressure monitor list to find yours one.

DIY: Blood Pressure Measurement

admin — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:10:49 +0000

The frequency of blood pressure measuring mainly depends on your blood pressure level. You may ask for advice from doctors or nurses before using blood pressure monitor for the first time. You should program your blood pressure measuring as routine or weekly schedule to avoid forgetting. Some people may take readings only once a week meanwhile someone may take several times.

However, the first use of blood pressure monitor may give inaccurate result because you are unfamiliar or nervous with the machine. Just often try to measure your blood pressure yourself and you will know that it is very easy and so comfortable to check your health condition at home.

When you first use the blood pressure machines, you should measure both left and right arm to see the results. The shown readings may be different between two arms, therefore next time you should measure blood pressure on the arm giving higher reading. Anyway, if the results of two arms are too different, more than 20mmHg systolic or 10mmHg diastolic, please see your doctor to consult this problem.

Before monitoring your blood pressure, you should read instructions of blood pressure monitor carefully to make sure that you understand it clearly to get accurate and precise result.

Remember that the purpose of blood pressure measurement is to maintain it at normal level, below 140/85 or 130/80mmHg. If you have high blood pressure, the machine can help you check your state of health to reduce your blood pressure. In addition, you should store or print out the readings to keep as your record that you can talk to your doctor or nurse in case something goes wrong.

The different blood pressure readings are caused from many factors such as anxiety, hard work, alcohol, exercise, stress, smoking, caffeine, full bladder, excitement, pain etc. Thus, staying in comfortable and relaxing environment is advised to get exact result.

Blood pressure monitors are widely available as digital and semi-digital machines. Upper arm blood pressure monitors approved from reliable institutes are suggested for home use, for instance, Omron, Microlife and A&D instruments because you can trust in manufacturers and readings of your blood pressure.

DIY: Monitor Your Blood Pressure at Home

admin — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 08:01:56 +0000

Increasing number of people usually check their blood pressure at home by using upper arm digital blood pressure monitors, once every two weeks. Because of its convenience, it is very easy to measure by yourself if your blood pressure is normal or not. Several researches refer that the reading of blood pressure monitored at home is more accurate than measuring at hospitals or clinics. People feel more comfortable to check their blood pressure at home than staying in medical environment. When you are asked to have blood pressure monitored by doctor or nurse, you may notice that the result is often higher than normal level. This condition is called ‘white coat hypertension’ which approximately affects the result by 30mmHg (systolic readings).

To measure your blood pressure at home is useful for people having problem with their blood pressure. You can take the readings to your doctor for more information and also reduce number of visits to surgery doctors. Many people like to check blood measure by themselves at home because they feel in control of their state of health. Someone, moreover, enjoy using blood pressure monitor every day like daily schedule when they feel familiar doing so. They can notice what type of activities, working or lifestyle affect to their blood pressure that can let them conceive much more about their health condition.

Anyway, certain physical difficulties may be discomfort for monitoring your blood pressure at home. These troubles, for example, are irregular heart rate, lymphectomy or hurt arms. If you are suffering from these problems, you should not take blood pressure reading as it may cause worse condition.

Before you decide to buy an upper arm automatic digital blood pressure monitor for home use, you can consult with your physician, nurse or manufacturer how often you have to measure, what time you should monitor your blood pressure and who you can discuss with etc.

Both types of blood pressure machines, automatic and semi-automatic, are available in health market for home use which you can store or print the reading out. With automatic machines, the cuff is inflated and deflated automatically to fit your arm while semi-automatic machines, you have to inflate and deflated the cuff manually.

An important thing you should consider before buying blood pressure machine is its accuracy. As consistently precise reading can help you and doctor diagnose your symptom and medical treatment, the exactness of machines should be the first property you examine before buying. These following suggestions can help you select blood pressure monitor;

Upper arm blood pressure monitors can give better and more accurate readings than wrist or finger monitors.
Blood pressure machines approved by independent testing for accuracy are preferable as you can see “CE” marking shown on packages. However, other tests by British Hypertension Society (BHS) or European Society of Hypertension are acknowledged standards of blood pressure monitors also.

Now some types of blood pressure machines can connect to personal computer or laptop to program or record your readings, for instance, A and D instruments – version of UA-767.

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Blood Pressure Monitors

admin — Thu, 29 Oct 2009 07:55:09 +0000

Nowadays, high blood pressure is one of fatal causes of death affecting millions of people worldwide. They have to face the risk of heart attack, heart failure and stroke. In addition, high blood pressure is still dangerous because it has no any indication of illness and that’s why you must have it measured to know your blood pressure level. With modern technology, however, it is more convenient to measure your blood pressure at home by using blood pressure monitor. Only a few easy steps, a precise result of your blood pressure will be shown to let you keep as your personal health record. You can do it yourself at home!

Difference between Blood Pressure Measurement at Home and Medical Environment

When your blood pressure is taken at a hospital, clinic or medical condition, you may notice that your blood pressure is increased than normal level called “white coat hypertension”. There are some causes such as anxiety or staying in chaotic situation. On the other hand, your blood pressure taken at home is usually lower than the readings measured in the medical environment and it seems to be more accurate result also. This can be referred to a research published in British Medical Journal indicating that “…people who monitor their blood pressure at home have better blood pressure control…”

It is very easy to measure your blood pressure at home by using an automatic machine on your upper arm at heart level. Then the result will be shown on a monitor as a digital display which you can keep in the machine’s memory or print out as a paper record. How easy it is!

Reliable Blood Pressure Monitors

During recent years, blood pressure monitors are increasingly used to measure blood pressure at home because people are familiar with suggested machines available in public health market. Anyway, most of recommended blood pressure monitors are Microlife and Omron, approved by British Hypertension Society (BHS) that they are safe, easy and accurate for home use at valued price.

This list below is automatic digital blood pressure devices for home use;

Omron M6 Comfort – upper arm automatic digital blood pressure monitor
Omron M7 – perfect device of upper arm monitor, easy to use, comfortable, adjustable cuff for everyone in family
Omron M10 – latest upper arm digital blood pressure machine
A+D Instruments Monitors
Microlife Blood Pressure Machines – such as Microlife 123 validated by British Hypertension Society (very simple, comfortable and easy as 123) / Microlife BP3AC

Right Size of Cuffs for Right Results

You should use the right size of cuff suitable with your arm to get the precise readings because some people may have thinner or larger arms than standard size cuff. If the cuff is smaller than your arm, your blood pressure reading may be inaccurately high; on the contrary, if the cuff is bigger, the result may be falsely low. Therefore, when your arm does not fit with the cuff coming with the monitor, you can buy smaller or larger cuffs for correct blood pressure result.

Please remember that it is very useful for your health to have your blood pressure checked regularly, at least it can tell you some physical signals on your health to avoid or prevent before it becomes dangerous symptoms.