Importance of Having a Blood Pressure Monitor
It is essential to constantly monitor blood pressure as this can help prevent serious complications early on. This is mainly because hypertension does not show early signs and symptoms; hence, even if you live healthily if you can, it is still a brilliant idea to regularly check your blood pressure to avoid future complications. Blood pressure monitoring should not only be done by adults but also and especially by the elderly. Hypertension is more common among the elderly, with a 75.4% increase in those aged 70 to 74.
Blood pressure is a measurement of the force exerted by your heart as it pumps blood around your body. High blood pressure means your body needs more force to circulate blood around your body, which can lead to major long-term health problems like heart disease, strokes, kidney disease, vascular dementia, and so on.
Read further why it is wise to have a blood pressure monitor at home!
Why Invest in a Blood Pressure Monitor?
Cost-Effective:
It saves you money as you do not have to constantly go to your doctor’s office to monitor your blood pressure simply.
Sense of Responsibility:
Being able to monitor your blood pressure constantly is an effective way to encourage one to be responsible for their health. When you can frequently check your blood pressure, you can also realise how or when to start changing your diet to manage your blood pressure.
Early Diagnosis:
As previously mentioned, hypertension does not manifest early signs. Most people only realise they are hypertensive after a complication; therefore, it is essential to monitor your blood pressure regularly. Sometimes, there are other complications to the rise of blood pressure, like diabetes or a kidney problem. It is essential to detect high blood pressure to check if there are underlying causes.
Help Track Treatment:
If you or someone in your household is already diagnosed with hypertension, you should consider investing in a blood pressure monitor. It is a great way to see if the treatments and changes in lifestyle are helping.
Double Check:
When you go to a doctor’s appointment, sometimes the nerves will result in a higher reading, so it is never a mistake to recheck once you are back home when the environment is more relaxed in order to have a more accurate reading.
Long Term Benefits of Home monitoring
If you are on any medication, it is a good idea to regularly check your blood pressure in order to see if the medicines you are taking are affecting your blood pressure. This could be a sign to either continue said medication or find a new treatment. If there are any negative implications, then you should bring this up in your next doctor’s appointment. Monitoring your blood pressure should not be a hassle at all this is why you should try and find the blood pressure monitor that will make this task convenient for you, check out buying guide to help you with that decision making part. BUT it is important to keep in mind that home monitoring is not a substitute for the doctor’s office. Research by Levine (2018) showed that after distributing blood pressure monitors to patients with hypertension, nearly 67% were able to better control their blood pressures.
Threats of an Unmonitored Blood Pressure
A survey (“CDC 2010 in Atlanta, Georgia [CDC Preview],” 2010), showed that only about 30% of people with high blood pressure monitor at least once a month at home. If high blood pressure is not monitored and controlled, there is an increased risk for a heart attack, brain aneurysm or stroke which can result in lifelong complications.
Susceptible to Heart Failure
High blood pressure indicates a narrowed artery or that your heart needs to exert more work to circulate your blood which can result to heart failure over time
Chest Pains
Chest pains are an early sign of heart failure. This occurs when your heart doesn’t get the right amount of blood that it needs. Chest pains will hinder one in performing activities like walking uphill, going up the stairs and basic exercising.
Kidney Problems
High blood pressure may narrow the arteries in your kidney which will prevent proper blood flow to get rid of toxins in the body, which eventually will cause the kidney to fail.
Conclusion:
Whether you have hypertension or are in excellent health, routinely monitoring your blood pressure is always a good idea. We hope that this easy-to-follow advice will assist you in keeping track of your blood pressure at home! If you’re looking for a blood pressure monitor, have a look at our list of the top blood pressure monitors available online right now! You may also learn more about what to look for in a blood pressure monitor by clicking here.
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