The most accurate time of day to measure blood pressure

This is an automatically translated article.

The article is professionally consulted by Master, Doctor Do Nguyen Thuy Doan Trang - Head of Extracorporeal Circulation Team - Cardiovascular Center - Vinmec Central Park International General Hospital. The doctor is a leading expert in Extracorporeal Circulation in cardiac surgery and cardiac resuscitation, Cardiovascular medical treatment.
Blood pressure is one of the basic parameters that reflect health status. Today, with the popularity of electronic devices to help measure blood pressure at home, everyone can monitor blood pressure for themselves and their loved ones. However, how blood pressure changes during the day, measuring blood pressure at what time is the most accurate,... are issues not everyone understands.

1. What is blood pressure?

Blood pressure is the pressure of blood in the arteries to bring blood to the organs of the body. Blood pressure is created by the force of contraction of the heart and the resistance of blood vessels.
When measuring blood pressure, especially with electronic devices, we often see two readings of maximum blood pressure (also known as systolic blood pressure) and minimum blood pressure (also known as systolic blood pressure). stretch).
According to the guidelines of the International Society of Hypertension (ISH), the diagnosis of hypertension is when the systolic blood pressure is 140 mmHg or higher or the diastolic blood pressure is 90 mmHg or higher according to the steps in the standard diagnostic procedure. If our blood pressure reading is always lower than 90/60 mmHg, it is considered low blood pressure. Thus, our systolic blood pressure ranges from 90 to 140 mmHg, diastolic blood pressure ranges from 60 to 90 mmHg, which is considered normal.

Trắc nghiệm: Huyết áp của bạn có đang thực sự tốt?

Huyết áp cao hay thấp đều ảnh hưởng đến tình trạng sức khỏe con người. Để biết tình trạng huyết áp của bạn có thực sự tốt không, hãy làm bài trắc nghiệm sau đây để đánh giá.

2. What is blood pressure like during the day?

Blood pressure is an indicator that reflects the dynamic equilibrium of physiological processes in the body. Therefore, our blood pressure does not always stay the same or keep the same number, but will change depending on our activities, emotions or health status at that moment. Just a small activity such as changing position, posture, drinking coffee or smoking, being emotional... will also increase blood pressure.
Normally, blood pressure will tend to be higher in the morning and lower in the evening. The lowest peak (SBP/DBP mmHg < 120 and/or < 70) usually falls when we are in the deepest sleep. Meanwhile, the highest number of blood pressure marks many different peaks, that is, every time we work hard or think, stress, and then the body will adjust to a state of balance. If the body does not have this ability, blood pressure is always high or low, that is a real medical condition.

Huyết áp có thể thay đổi theo hoạt động, cảm xúc hoặc tình trạng sức khỏe
Huyết áp có thể thay đổi theo hoạt động, cảm xúc hoặc tình trạng sức khỏe

3. What is the most accurate time to measure blood pressure?

Because blood pressure often fluctuates, knowledge about when to measure blood pressure is extremely necessary. From there, to conclude whether we have hypertension or not, or low blood pressure or normal blood pressure, it is necessary to base on the blood pressure values ​​of many days, many different times in a day. Understanding and remembering those milestones, recording blood pressure readings, including systolic and diastolic blood pressure, and heart rate in a diary will make home health monitoring more convenient.
Home blood pressure measurement is usually recommended in the morning upon awakening and before getting out of bed. If you are required to monitor your blood pressure several times a day, you should choose fixed times that are easy to remember and also easy to compare. However, the measurements are taken after the body has been rested for at least 3-5 minutes in complete peace of mind., do not talk during and between blood pressure measurements. Absolutely do not measure blood pressure after a full meal or when too hungry, too tired, needing to urinate, after smoking or drinking coffee or in a state of stress, anger.
Measurement of blood pressure can be done while sitting or lying down with a comfortable position and provided that the position of the monitor on the upper arm or on the wrist is level with the heart. At this time, the patient should sit in a chair with support, hands on the table or lying on his back, hands down to his body; At the same time, do not wear clothes that are too tight or too tight, which can artificially increase blood pressure. It is best to measure 3 times in a row, 1 minute apart each time and take the average between the last 2 measurements. Measure both arms at the same time and choose the hand with the higher blood pressure reading.

Đo huyết áp tại nhà một cách chuẩn xác
Đo huyết áp tại nhà một cách chuẩn xác
If you know how to measure your blood pressure at home accurately, that index will have a higher confidence value in the diagnosis of hypertension and long-term monitoring of treatment. Because, when patients go to the clinic or hospital, the blood pressure measured here tends to be higher than at home. It is the result of white coat hypertension. This is explained by the fact that when in contact with medical staff, the white coat color often makes patients anxious and stressed, so blood pressure increases more than usual. In the opposite case, if the blood pressure at home is higher than in the clinic, masked hypertension should be suspected. This is very dangerous because it is easy to miss the diagnosis, prone to complications when the blood pressure is suddenly high. Therefore, in both cases, the solution is to measure Holter blood pressure. The device attaches to the upper arm and records blood pressure every 30 minutes to 1 hour for 24 hours. The returned result will be a chart of blood pressure fluctuations during the day, allowing to determine blood pressure status more accurately.
In short, knowing about the dangers of blood pressure diseases as well as knowing the time of day to measure blood pressure is necessary to protect comprehensive health. From there, the coordination, cooperation and adherence to treatment with the doctor will help control blood pressure stably for you and your loved ones.

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