High blood pressure, commonly known as hypertension, is a health issue that might not make its presence known yet could lead to severe complications like heart disease, stroke, or kidney failure. It occurs when the force of blood pushing against the artery walls is consistently too high, and according to NHS guidelines, a typical healthy reading should be below 120/80 mm Hg.
However, many are unaware of the correct process for monitoring their pressure at home. In a helpful TikTok video, cardiac nurse Angela shares her insider knowledge: "I'm a cardiac nurse and you've seen some of my videos before about blood pressure, you know I love all things about the heart. So I'm going to take my blood pressure and show you all the tricks I tell my patients to make sure it's accurate."
She highlights a commonly ignored step—sitting calmly for about five minutes prior to measuring to ensure an accurate result.
Further, she demonstrates the proper technique, stressing: "Next you're going to slide your arm in and make sure that tube is pointing down towards your fingers. Pull it nice and tight, sometimes you need a little bit of help with this, make sure it fits and this bit isn't too floppy or really struggling to be attached."
She elaborates: "Next that little dot should be in line with the middle of your elbow, then we're going to press start and there you have it. Mine is pretty normal for me there today. If it's a bit high, take it three times.", reports Surrey Live.
The nurse suggested recording the most consistent reading out of the three. Since she posted her video, it has racked up 21,400 likes and received close to 1,000 comments.
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In response to a user asking: "Does it matter which arm? " Angela replied: "Yes usually."
When another asked why blood pressure could vary between arms, the cardiac nurse clarified that the right arm is further from the heart, which can result in a higher reading sometimes. While at-home checks are useful, the NHS strongly admonishes visiting a GP if at risk of high blood pressure, also recommending those over 40 to get their pressure checked by a doctor if it hasn't been done in over five years.
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English (United States) ·