Vascular diseases are rapidly growing younger. The statistics is inexorable - almost fifty percent of all deaths on the "conscience" of hypertension. Currently, you can purchase a tonometer in every pharmacy. The most innovative ones are no more than watches. However, what to do if it was not found near the device for measuring blood pressure? How to measure blood pressure without a tonometer? We offer some interesting ways.
Try to evaluate the external signs of a painful condition and find out the magnitude of your pressure with a simple needle and ruler. Do not miss the initial properties of hypertension, which the body speaks of heartbeat, headache, numbness of the fingers, flushing of the head, "flies" in front of the eyes, rapid fatigue and poor dreaming. Numerous people suffering from hypotension feel weak, suffer from bad mood and sweating. If these signs are revealed at home, do not self-medicate, but go to the hospital or call a doctor at home. With the diagnosis, do not stop taking the prescribed pharmaceutical preparations in any case.
Complaints and Symptoms
You can independently measure pressure without a tonometer, based on complaints. They were the first to talk about a change in blood pressure (dizziness, weakness, nausea, etc.). A healthy person does not show such symptoms. Therefore, they clearly indicate that a person has changed the level of blood pressure.
People decide to measure pressure only when something happens to him. 75% of complaints and symptoms, one way or another, are associated with a change in blood pressure. According to them, you can previously determine the increased or decreased pressure. There are other signs that appear in people with hypotension and hypertension. They will only confuse and will not help to determine even approximate figures.
Key features
These signs may include:
- lack of air;
- pressing chest pain;
- loss of consciousness;
- darkening in the eyes;
- heaviness in the region of the heart.
High pressure symptoms
So, what symptoms will help determine whether an ordinary person has high blood pressure:
- throbbing headache in the temporal region;
- redness of the skin of the face;
- palpitations
- excitement and anxiety;
- nose bleed;
- tension and trembling;
- recurring nausea and vomiting.
All these signs are characteristic of high blood pressure.
Low pressure symptoms
And low blood pressure is usually treated with the following complaints:
- aching headache in the occipital region;
- severe dizziness;
- weak heartbeat;
- pallor of the face;
- drowsiness;
- weakness;
- single nausea and vomiting.
Causes of hypotension
The causes of low pressure can be:
- pregnancy;
- heart dysfunction;
- dehydration;
- blood loss;
- starvation;
- anaphylaxis.
Causes of Hypertension
Reasons for high blood pressure:
- hormonal disorders;
- taking certain medications;
- kidney disease
- malnutrition;
- spinal problems;
- violation of vascular tone;
- stress and constant worries.
The main thing is to remember that even an experienced specialist can not determine the exact values ​​of the lower and upper pressure without a device. Symptoms and complaints will help, as mentioned earlier, to establish high or low blood pressure. But the above symptoms do not always indicate that the problem is pressure. Very often, this can be another ailment. It must be remembered that only a combination of symptoms can help make the correct diagnosis. Nevertheless, if you want to know the exact pressure value, use a tonometer.
How to measure pressure without a blood pressure monitor by heart rate?
Naturally, accurate pressure indicators can only be found with a tonometer. But if it’s not at hand, we focus on the pulse. Before you begin to measure pressure in this way, you need to sit on a chair or lie on a sofa, taking the most comfortable position. In this case, it is advisable to put your hand on a hard surface and, after taking a few deep breaths, try to relax. In this state of rest, you must stay at least 5 minutes.
When measuring pressure, try not to speak or move. Also, to obtain a more accurate result, it is advisable not to eat half an hour before the measurement and not to use medications that can affect the pressure and heart rate. All these factors can affect the correctness of the results.
Then attach 2 fingers to the wrist and press it slightly. To measure the pulse on the radial artery, you need to track 30 seconds on the stopwatch and count the strokes. After that, multiply the number of strokes by 2. The resulting number will be the result. But it’s better to measure the pulse for 60 seconds, as it can change within a minute. It is recommended to measure the pulse twice in order to confirm the correct measurement.
A common mistake is to measure the pressure on only one hand, because if the pulse is felt poorly on the second hand, this may indicate the presence of possible pathologies. Normally, in an adult, the pulse varies from 60 to 80 beats per minute.
You can also count the pulse on other arteries. This may be the femoral artery, which is located in the groin, an artery located on the inside of the bend of the elbow or in the region of the popliteal joint. With increased blood pressure, the pulse will be distinct, but if the pressure is lowered, it is barely felt with pressure.
Also, when measuring pressure, it is necessary to take into account such factors as: weather sensitivity, lethargy and nervous strain. In people who suffer from diseases of the heart and endocrine system, the pulse can increase and range from 70 to 90 beats. An increased pulse is also observed in pregnant women, this is due to an increase in the amount of blood and increased blood flow. Therefore, the proposed method does not give one hundred percent accuracy, but it cannot be argued that it is devoid of meaning. After all, it doesn’t matter at all how exactly to measure the pressure, the main thing is to make it a habit to periodically carry out this manipulation. Then even the slightest pressure drop will not go unnoticed.
Ruler and pendulum
Is it possible to measure pressure without a tonometer at home in any other way?
You will need a ruler with a length of 20-30 centimeters, from any material (as an alternative, you can use a centimeter tape), a small weight (any item will do: clip, button, etc.), threads. First we construct a pendulum, take a thread about 25 centimeters long, and tie it to a weight.
Execution algorithm
Now you can begin the process of measuring pressure. First you need to take a comfortable sitting position, place your hand directly in front of you on the table (for a right-hander, to make an independent measurement, it will be more convenient on your left hand). Having taken a comfortable position, it is necessary to place the ruler on the arm, so that its beginning is in the bend of the elbow. We take the design of the pendulum with the second hand at the free end, and hold it above the beginning of the ruler, when it assumes a stationary state, we begin the slow movement of the hand along the direction of the ruler towards the elbow. The pendulum should not come into contact with the ruler or skin, but it is necessary to try to bring it as close to the arm as possible. Breathing should be light and free. It is unacceptable to be distracted by any conversations and so on.
It is necessary to move the pendulum smoothly and without rushing, tracking the condition of the weight. As soon as the weight starts to move (expressed in the same transverse vibrations), we note this moment, this will be a mark of the first level of the upper pressure. If the weight starts moving at a value of 10, we multiply the resulting number by 10, which means that the pressure level is within 100. Next, the ruler needs to be turned 180 degrees so that the beginning of the line of divisions is located at the bend of the wrist. We make the movement of the pendulum from the beginning of the line, now, respectively, to the wrist. We mark the moment when the weight starts moving, this will be the mark of the lower pressure (to obtain the result of the upper and lower pressure, the obtained value on the ruler must be multiplied by ten).
The pressure measurement process is over, but to be sure, you can repeat this process one or more times. This method does not have any evidence or justification from a scientific point of view, however, its effectiveness is almost one hundred percent. But still it is worth considering that there is always a probability of error in measuring pressure, without a special device. This method can be used in emergency situations when it is urgent to measure a person’s pressure, there is no tonometer at hand, and human life depends on it.
As you can see, measuring pressure without a tonometer is easy. But for proper diagnosis, it is better to use the device.