Monitoring blood pressure at home can be tricky. Here's how to do it right.
By Michael Merschel, American Heart Association 沙巴足球体育平台
Knowing your blood pressure is a basic part of good health. But monitoring it at home can get complicated.
“听起来很简单——你买了一个设备，拍拍上臂上的袖口，然后按一个按钮，对吗?? It's not so easy," said Dr. 纽约哥伦比亚高血压中心的联合主任Daichi Shimbo说.
高血压是成年人的一种常见疾病，它会带来“非常糟糕的后果”," such as heart attacks, 中风和痴呆, Shimbo说. 为了诊断和追踪，医生经常要求人们在家检查. 但即使是专业人士也会在家庭血压监测的正确程序上出错.
Here's help with some of the basics.
What exactly do those numbers mean?
的 top number in a 阅读 measures systolic pressure, the force against artery walls when the heart beats. 下面的数字是舒张压，用来测量心跳之间的压力.
Dr. 凯伦·马戈利斯, 明尼阿波利斯健康伙伴研究所的高级研究员, puts it this way: "的 top number is when your heart is squeezing. 的 bottom number is when your heart is relaxing." If you're using a stethoscope, where a heartbeat sounds like "lub-dub," the "lub" is the squeeze, and the "dub" is the relaxing.
最初的测量装置使用的是汞填充管，以毫米为单位. So blood pressure is expressed in millimeters of mercury.
Modern digital monitors don't use mercury, 但原理是一样的:手臂上的袖带切断了肘部动脉的血液流动. 当袖带松开时，血液再次开始流动的“嗖嗖”声提供了收缩压读数. When the noise stops, that's the diastolic number.
的 American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology recognize five categories of blood pressure in adults. A 阅读 of less than 120/80 is considered normal.
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我从哪里开始呢??
马戈利斯和辛博一致认为，适当的自我血压监测始于一种经过验证的设备. 两人共同撰写了 2020 policy statement 美国心脏协会和美国医学协会关于家庭血压监测的建议.
Many devices tout Food and Drug Administration clearance. 但FDA并没有验证其批准在市场上销售的设备的准确性, Shimbo说.
要查找经过验证的设备，请从AMA网站validatebp开始.org. 一个国际联盟也在stridebp上列出了经过验证的设备.org.
What kind of device should I use?
根据AHA/AMA的报告，上臂袖带装置比手腕装置更受欢迎.
“我只是觉得它们真的很难用，”马戈利斯说. “他们敏感的. Your arm has to be in exactly the right position.“还, 有医疗问题的人无法压迫上臂的动脉，可能需要手腕上的装置, 她说.
And cuff size matters. A "universal" cuff will work for most people, 她说, but if you have a very slender or large arm, you'll need an alternate.
Shimbo说，包括智能手表在内的无袖设备听起来很酷. 但很少有人得到验证，所以他认为它们“还没有准备好进入黄金时段”."
How do I prepare for a measurement?
This is "surprisingly hard," Margolis acknowledged. Before taking a 阅读, you should avoid caffeine. Don't exercise for 30 minutes beforehand. If you smoke, don't smoke. 去洗手间. “理想情况下，你应该等到饭后30分钟."
马戈利斯说，然后安静地坐五分钟，不要让任何东西分心. "And when I say no distraction, I mean don't watch TV. Don't listen to a podcast. 不要看书. Definitely don't read the newspaper or listen to the news."
What else is important?
根据 的指导方针 from the AHA and ACC, sit in a chair that supports your back. Keep your feet flat on the ground. Don't cross your legs. Position and support your upper bare arm at heart level. Keep your palm up and your arm muscles relaxed. 不要说话.
Take two 阅读s at least one minute apart.
Not following these steps can throw a 阅读 off significantly. 例如，衣服上的读数可能会有5到50个点的误差.
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时机重要吗??
Blood pressure tends to be highest in the morning, decreases through the day and is lowest during sleep. 为了解释这一点, when diagnosing high blood pressure, 在一周的课程中，你会被要求在早上和晚上分别做两次阅读.
马戈利斯说:“我会听从医生的建议，多久监测一次。. 例如，读数一直正常的人不需要经常检查.
What if the 阅读 doesn't match what's in the office?
Shimbo说，这是家庭监控正在寻找的东西之一.
Some people get "white coat hypertension,这是指在医生办公室里的读数很高，而在办公室外的读数却很高. Others experience "masked hypertension,“在医生办公室里的读数正常，但在办公室外却很高.
换句话说，医生办公室的读数会显示你在检查室短暂沙巴足球体育平台内的血压, Shimbo说. "But you spend all of your life outside the doctor's office. 你不想知道你在现实世界中的血压是多少吗?"
如果你对这篇美国心脏协会沙巴足球体育平台有任何问题或评论，请发电子邮件 (电子邮件保护).