7 errors due to which the tonometer overstates the pressure

One of the main recommendations that doctors give to patients is to constantly monitor their blood pressure. Cardiovascular diseases are leading cause of death in the world, and monitoring pressure helps in time to notice the deterioration of a person’s condition. However, by measuring the pressure with a home tonometer, people make many mistakes. If you will define blood pressure correctly, and also watch how the doctor does it, you can avoid, for example, unnecessary medicinal appointments. Here are seven tips from the American Heart Association.

• Visit the toilet before measuring. A full bladder adds 10–15 points to blood pressure.
• The chair on which you are sitting should provide full support for the back, and the legs should stand quietly on the floor or a special bench, and not hang in the air. Otherwise, the tonometer will show 6-10 points more than necessary.
• Do not cross your legs – this action also adds “points” to the pressure indicator (from 2 to 8).
• The hand on which the cuff is placed should rest on the armrest. If it hangs along the body or you are forced to keep it on weight, your blood pressure indicator may increase by 10 points.
• The cuff itself should be worn on the bare hand. The clothes between the hand and the cuff add 5 points to 50 points.
• The size of the cuff is also important. The pressure may be higher by 2-10 points than in fact, if the cuff is too small.
• During measurements, it is better to be silent and try not to move. The conversation also adds up to 10 points to pressure.