Understanding Hypertension?
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How is Blood Pressure Measured?
When you visit your doctor or other health care professional, he or she will likely "take" your blood pressure. To do this, you will be seated comfortably, then a blood pressure cuff will be wrapped around your upper arm. Your doctor will then pump up or inflate the cuff. It will feel tight but it shouldn't be painful. The pressure from the inflated cuff will temporarily squeeze shut an artery in your arm. Then your doctor will use a stethoscope to listen over the artery in your arm as he or she slowly deflates the cuff.
At first your doctor will not be able to hear anything, but when the cuff is deflated enough to allow the artery to reopen, he or she will be able to hear the blood start pumping through the artery. The pressure on the dial of the blood pressure cuff at this point is your systolic blood pressure (the top number of your blood pressure reading). Your systolic pressure is the pressure of blood in your arteries when your heart contracts.
Your doctor will continue listening. When he or she can no longer hear any sounds, the blood pressure dial will be checked again. The pressure on the dial at this time is your diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number of your blood pressure reading). Your diastolic blood pressure is the pressure of blood in your arteries when your heart is relaxing, between beats.
You should have your blood pressure checked every 1 to 2 years by your doctor or other healthcare professional. If you are at risk for high blood pressure and heart disease, it is a good idea to have it checked more often. If you already have hypertension, your blood pressure should be checked at least once every 2 to 3 months. If you have recently been diagnosed, with hypertension or your blood pressure is very high, you may need to have your blood pressure checked as often as every 1 to 8 weeks.
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