High blood pressure is now common in almost every household, yet it often causes no clear symptoms. Citing the World Heart Federation, Ei Samay reports that high blood pressure is linked to about half of deaths from heart disease and stroke, and the World Health Organization links it to about 1.6 million deaths a year in India.
Digital monitors make it easy to check at home, but a few common mistakes can throw off the reading. Dr Priyanka Sehrawat, a neurologist and general physician at AIIMS Delhi, shared some advice in a video on 6 September.
First, wait at least 30 minutes after tea, coffee or other caffeinated drinks, exercise, walking, a meal, smoking or alcohol, because these cause temporary changes in the body. Second, the left arm is generally better for the measurement, she says. Third, do not rely on one reading: take three and use the average.
Fourth, keep the cuff at the level of the heart; you can measure sitting or lying down. Fifth, fasten the cuff so that two fingers slip comfortably underneath it, since a cuff that is too loose or too tight can distort the reading.
This report is based on a report on Ei Samay's lifestyle pages.
Photo: ML5 / Wikimedia Commons (public domain)
Source: Ei Samay
Comments
(0)