Electric Mobility Scooters

If you are being treated for high blood pressure, or if your pressure is borderline and your doctor is just “watching it”, measure it yourself from time to time, away from the doctor’s office. Doing so is useful because some people suffer from white coat syndrome, in which they become anxious in the doctor’s office and their blood pressure rises. As a result, the doctor doesn’t get an accurate reading and can’t know how well the condition is being treated. Also, it’s useful to know your pressure in various situations, and how effectively your medication is working throughout the day.

The best way to monitor your pressure, in my opinion, is with a home blood pressure cuff. Most of these devices are inexpensive (under $100), automatic, and easy to use. To make sure the unit is accurate, take it with you to the doctor’s office and check it against the one there. Depending on the medical book you read, you’ll find a “normal blood pressure” to be beteen 120/70 to 130/80. Each person has their own “normal”, therefore these numbers are considered ideal or desirable. 

Many drugstores and supermarkets now have blood pressure machines, providing a convenient, inexpensive, and easy way to measure your blood pressure. You simply slip your arm into a cuff and push a button. But are such machines acurate? Do the stores maintain their units, or do they set them up and forget about them? Frankly, I have always been a little leary of advising my patients to check their pressure this way, especially in a supermarket. Therefore, I recommend buying yourself a home unit so you can measure your pressure at home before and after taking medication, eating, or watching an exciting event on T.V. (all away from that terrifying white coat). In addition to these scenerios, whether you are sitting or standing will affect the readings. However, if you don’t have a personal home unit, it’s okay to use the public blood pressure monitors as long as you remember to do it three times. The last reading is the one that counts. If it seems out of line, double-check it with your doctor.