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Wrist Bp Monitor

Diabetes and Blood Pressure

Did you know that controlling your blood pressure may be more important then controlling your blood sugar? This is because persistently high blood pressure could increase your chances of heart attack and stroke. To make matters worse, diabetics already have a greater risk of heart disease or stroke just because they are diabetic. So any diabetic with high blood pressure is in the high risk bracket. Controlling your blood pressure is one of major ways to help reduce this risk especially if you are diabetic.

What should my blood pressure be?

There have been a lot of studies and research into the ideal blood pressure for diabetics and in truth there isn't one ideal answer. The experts, National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE), recommend that BP for Type 2 diabetics should be under 140/80 mmHg, and for Type 1 diabetics should be under 135/85. Your physician may well have a lower or different target for you and aim to follow what your physician recommends.

What to use to measure blood pressure (BP)?

The most convenient way to check BP would be to use an automatic "arm" blood pressure monitor. The other type of blood pressure monitors are wrist monitors. However, blood pressure readings from arm monitors tend to be more reliable then wrist. We would recommend you use a BHS (British Hypertension Society) validated blood pressure monitor. These monitors have an official stamp of approval which meet the BHS's stringent validation requirements. Like most products be careful of "cheap" monitors which may not be reliable and can brake down very easily. From our own experience we have found the Omron brand to be a very reliable.

How can I lower my blood pressure?

There are steps that you can take to help reduce your blood pressure. These include

* Reduce dietary salt intake to less than 6g of salt per day (the less the better).

* Avoid too much coffee (>5 cups)

* Avoid stress (this is easier said then done but stress can play a major role in high bp)

* Try relaxation therapies (e.g. stress management, meditation, etc.) can reduce BP

* If you smoke, stop. This will make a huge benefit to your heart disease risk

* Exercise, ideally aerobic exercise for 30-60 minutes, three to five times each week. (Check with your doctor that you can do this)

* Limit alcohol consumption

If your blood pressure is still high after making these lifestyle changes then your doctor may decide to prescribe you antihypertensive medicines which lower blood pressure.

It is important to monitor your blood pressure and know what your blood pressure is. If it is persistently above the target ranges described then get it checked by your doctor. Knowing your blood pressure allows you to take control and take action.

We hope you have found this article useful. In this article we have talked about dietary changes that can help your blood pressure. In the diabetes and food article we discuss the role of food in controlling diabetes. Have a read of this article to learn more.