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How to Properly Measure Your Blood Pressure
1. Relax and try to remairrstill for 5 to 10 minutes before a measurement.
2. Remove shirts or other tight-fitting garments on the upper arm before
applying the arm cuff.
3. Refrain from eating, smoking, and drinking (especially alcoholic beverages)
.
before a measurement since these activities can effect your blood pressure.
4. Remember that blood pressure varies continuously throughout the
day. Try to take your blood pressure at the same time each day.
5. Do not be too impressed with the results of one measurement. Many
measurements, recorded over a long period of time, will provide a better
understanding of your blood pressure.
6. Please relax for
5
to 10 minutes before taking another measurement.
7. Many factors can affect your blood pressure. Emotional stress can cause
increase in blood pressure. Blood pressure tends to be lower in summer
and higher in winter.
Helpful Information
What is Blood Pressure?
Blood pressure is the force that blood exerts on the arteries. This force is
constantly changing as the heart beats. When the heart contracts, the blood
pressure reaches its highest value. This is called systolic blood pressure.
When the heart relaxes between beats, the value of blood pressure is lower.
This is called the diastolic blood pressure. The unit of measure for blood
pressure is the millimeter of mercury, abbreviated, mmHg.
For example, an individual’s blood pressure may be measured as 120 mmHg
(systolic) and 80 mmHg (diastolic). This would be spoken as “120 over 80”,
and written as 120/80.
Remember, blood pressure varies throughout the day. It can beaffected by food
intakes, smoking, time of day, stress, level of exercise, and many other factors.
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