Why Your Blood Pressure Readings May Be Wrong

One of the most dangerous things assaults on your health is to measure your blood pressure and get the results wrong.

You may think your blood pressure is okay and do nothing. Or you may be stressed out thinking your blood pressure is way too high when it is indeed normal or a little over normal (this stress can actually cause high blood pressure).

And there is one aspect of modern technology that actually provides you with this false information. So avoid this technology at all cost.

Self-serve blood pressure kiosks in drug stores, airports, gyms and grocery stores have been set up to make it easier than ever before to take blood pressure readings.

But is it really the best way to get accurate readings?

There are many factors to keep in mind while taking a blood pressure reading. One of the most important is the cuff size.

In a clinic, a toddler’s blood pressure would be measured using an extra-small size cuff while a stout or muscular adult will need an extra-large adult size. But most kiosks have one cuff size that is used by everyone, irrespective of their body build and this sets up a big error in blood pressure readings.

When you use a cuff that is too small, you can get artificially high blood pressure readings. Using a cuff that’s too large can result in false low readings.

And there are other important requirements to measuring blood pressure accurately. You should be seated upright, resting comfortably while taking the readings. Your legs should be kept uncrossed and touching the ground. The arm you use for taking the readings should be held at the heart’s level.

These requirements may not be met in a kiosk. Especially if you just jump in quickly to take your blood pressure while running around shopping.

Even more importantly, while running errands, your blood pressure naturally rises, just like when you’re working out. There’s nothing wrong with a normal elevation in blood pressure, but blood pressure should always be taken after you’ve sat down and relaxed for at least 5 minutes.

It doesn’t mean that blood pressure kiosks should be avoided completely. You can use them to get an indicator of where your blood pressure stands, especially if you don’t have a home meter.

However, you get much more accurate long-term readings by purchasing a home blood pressure monitor and taking your BP 3-4 times per day, always around the same times (e.g. morning, noon and bedtime).

But getting accurate blood pressure readings is only half the story. You also need to lower it. The best method to lower your blood pressure naturally involves three easy blood pressure exercises found here…