Blood Pressure Moniters

Blood pressure moniters have come a long way.

The technology has advanced so far now the original mercury sphygmomanometer looks like it should be in a museum. But, it is still considered by many to be the standard by which all other monitors should be measured.

How Your Doctor Reads Your Blood Pressure

• A cuff attached by a tube to the sphygmomanometer is placed around your upper arm.
• Using a bulb also attached to the tube the cuff is inflated to a pressure higher than your own. As the pressure rises the mercury in the monitor rises. The mercury is in a graduated glass tube which can be read off and measured.
• Using a screw-type relief valve the pressure is then slowly released.
• As the mercury level drops your Doctor listens to his stethoscope placed in the crook of your arm next to where the cuff has been placed. He listens for changes in the sound of your pulse.
• • To start with there is no sound.
  • As the pressure on the cuff is released when it gets to a certain level he hears your pulse beating. He notes the level of the mercury in the glass tube. This reading is your systolic pressure. Systolic pressure is the pressure exerted on your artery walls as your heart beats.
  • The next reading is taken when the sound of your beating pulse changes with a bit of a whoosh and disappears as there is no longer sufficient pressure to constrict your blood flow. This reading is a measure of your diastolic pressure. This is the pressure on your artery walls when your heart is resting between beats. 

Even to this day the mercury sphygomomanometer is extremely accurate and many Doctors still use it. Because of this accuracy it used to be that doctors were contemptuous of the earlier digital models of automatic blood pressure monitors, and even more so of the wrist blood pressure monitors, that were finding their way on to the market.

A Passing Fad

If the truth were to be told no doubt many of these doctors probably felt these new monitors would be a passing fad. But that has not been the case. If anything these machines have grown from strength to strength and many of them are now as accurate or even more accurate than the original. There are now more and more people who buy blood pressure machines for home use.

There are many factors that can affect your blood pressure apart from the current state of your health.

The White Coat Effect

For a lot of people just visiting their doctor's rooms can be a stressful experience whether they realise it or not and this can affect the readings your doctor gets.

This is known as the white coat effect. To try and counter it and ensure your test is as accurate as possible do these four things:

• Go to bed early the night before.
• Wear a short sleeved shirt or top or one where the sleeves can be easily folded up.
• When you sit for the test try and make sure both feet are resting on the floor.
• Try as much as possible before the test to relax. Deep breathing and happy thoughts can help.

The only truly affective way around it is to find the best home blood pressure monitor you can and take your own blood pressure when you are comfortable and relaxed. Several readings taken over a period of time will provide you and your doctor with a far better idea of just how good or bad your blood pressure is.

Take Your Own readings At Home

Taking your own readings at home could prove difficult if you were using a mercury sphygomanmometer. After putting the cuff on and inflating it you would have to slowly release the cuff pressure and at the same time listen to the stethscope and look at the column of mercury. And in addition to all that you would have to know what to listen for.

In contrast the modern digital blood pressure moniters are much easier to use. And there are so many makes to choose from, however Omron blood pressure monitors are one of the better known makes as well as being one of the few to have been certified as accurate by the British Hypertensive Society.

Blood pressure Moniter Reviews

Reviews of Omron devices are almost without exception excellent.

Most of the modern blood pressure moniters have preformed cuffs that easily fit the shape of your arm and inflate automatically, to the right pressure, at the touch of a button.

In a controlled manner they then deflate and record systolic, diastolic and heart rate on the way down. The results are generally presented on a very easily read digital display. Many of them will also store a significant number of results making it that much easier for you to show your doctor.