English
11
Measuring your own blood pressure daily enables you to recognize high blood
pressure at an early stage and obtain medical treatment.
The oscillometric method of measurement determines your blood pressure by
measuring the pressure fluctuations (oscillations) caused by the pulse waves.
Since your blood pressure fluctuates during the course of the day (see graph)
, you should always measure it at the same time each day to ensure that
the measurements are genuinely comparable. At the doctor s surgery, ner-
vousness and tenseness may cause your blood pressure values to be
higher than with normal measurement at home. This is known as „White Coat
Hypertension“.
Example: Fluctuations within a day
(Patient: male, 35 years old)
50
100
150
200
mmHg
6
12
18
24
Time of
day
Upper curve: systolic blood pressure
Lower curve: diastolic blood pressure
High blood pressure can go unnoticed for a long time, since it does not cause
noticeable symptoms. The following are all possible causes of abnormally high
blood pressure:
• Overweight
• High cholesterol level
• Smoking
• Excessive alcohol consumption
• Stress and emotional upsat
• Excessive consumption of salt
• Lack of physical exercise
• Genetic/hereditary predisposition
• Underlying illnesses, such as kidney disorders or endocrine disturbance
If your blood pressure reaches upper values of 140 - 160 mmHg and lower
values of 90 - 95 mmHg in repeated measurements over several days, you
should consult your doctor for a detailed medical examination. You can assist
the treatment prescribed by your doctor in the following ways:
• Losing weight and lowering your cholesterol level by reducing the calories
and fat content in your diet. In particular, you should cut down on animal
fats and eat more fruit and vegetables.
• Reducing your alcohol consumption.
• Reducing your intake of salt: the German League for Combatting High
Blood Pressure recommends that a healthy diet should not contain more
than 6 grams of salt per day (i.e. one teaspoon) on average.
• Reducing your nicotine consumption.
• Regular outdoor exercise.
• Measuring your own blood pressure
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