Hypertension: The Importance of Monitoring Blood Pressure

A common cardiovascular condition that leads to other health issues such as heart attack, stroke, kidney diseases, erectile dysfunction and heart failure, hypertension (a medical term used for high blood pressure) isn’t to be taken lightly.

Source: MedicAlert Foundation

In Australia, about 33.7% of the adult population is dealing with hypertension, and even though the chances for getting it increases with age, leading a healthy lifestyle is important to say the least. This includes regular exercising, eating a balanced nutritious diet, cutting down on salty foods and avoiding habits like smoking and alcohol consumption, the very culprits that cause high BP.

Still, given that often individuals who have hypertension don’t experience any symptoms that would indicate the problem, such as headache, irregular heartbeat, difficulty breathing, chest pain, fatigue or confusion, it’s considered a rather silent condition, a silent killer if you will. This explains why it’s advisable to make blood pressure monitoring part of your healthy lifestyle habits too.

Source: CNET

Instead of running to the doctor’s office for check-ups, you’re better off investing in blood pressure monitor Australia round pharmacies abound in, all clinically validated to help you keep track of your BP daily. They’re automatic, working with new and advanced algorithm that enhances accuracy and delivers reliable measurements with the push of a button.

Benefits

1. Early Diagnosis

Checking your blood pressure every day even when you have no symptoms can help diagnose a potential problem later on. In fact, this is a much better solution for coming to a diagnosis than occasional readings at the doctor’s office because it provides more thorough, continuous information.

Sometimes getting high BP could be an indicator of another health issue you might not know about, in the likes of diabetes, hyperthyroidism or kidney problems, and the sooner you find out, the better it would be for treatment.

2. Keeping Track of One’s Treatment

Let’s suppose you already know of a problem and are going through a treatment with medications and have started implementing diet and exercise changes – how would you know how successful all of this is unless you keep track of your blood pressure regularly?

Source: Medical Daily

Using a blood pressure monitor Australia pharmacies provide is essential for your treatment later on, as it can help your doctor decide on whether or not the dosages are correct and if a change in medication would be necessary, so it helps with the development of a program that works for you specifically.

3. Uncover White Coat Hypertension

There are those individuals who fret every time they have to go to the doctor’s office, and the stress resulting from this leads to what is known as white coat hypertension, i.e. situational elevation which doesn’t mean they have hypertension. Regular monitoring is crucial for distinguishing the situational or temporary from the actual hypertension.

4. Track What Triggers BP

BP is affected by many things, from the foods and drinks one consumes, to the stress we are exposed to. Measuring daily with a blood pressure monitor Australia doctors and pharmacists recommend means getting down to the causes of what triggers hypertension, and knowing this information is useful for changing one’s habits, avoiding stress and adopting relaxing activities.

5. Responsibility

A person who measures their blood pressure every day gets to develop a sense of responsibility for their health. This leads to motivation to make any necessary alterations regarding nutrition and exercise thus preventing other serious conditions in the long run.

Source: Medical News Today

Now that you know all the benefits you might be wondering how to monitor your blood pressure at home to get accurate readings, so here are a few things to have in mind:

Mind how you measure – To be able to count on accuracy, you have to remove the clothes (same as you’d do at the doctor’s) and apply the cuff directly on the arm (if the monitor features cuffs). If necessary, repeat the reading after to be sure about the result, and note it down.

Mind what you do – If you simply must exercise or drink caffeinated drinks, do it at least half an hour or more before your BP monitoring. Also, remember not to smoke and make sure to empty your bladder or you might see high measurements that are the result of smoking and urine, especially in the case with the elderly.

Mind your posture – Not sitting up straight with the feet flat on the floor could interfere with your readings too, so prior to measuring, remember to sit up straight, place your arm on a flat surface for support and hold the upper arm lifted upward at heart level.

Mind the time – When getting in the habit of monitoring the BP, it’s important to do so at the same time every day, ideally twice: once in the morning, and once in the evening at a specific hour of your choice.