‘For accurate reading, relax for five mins before measuring BP’

A relaxation for at least five minutes is needed before measuring the blood pressure, says Dr Rishi Sethi, senior faculty, department of cardiology at the King George’s Medical University (KGMU).

A relaxation for at least five minutes is needed before measuring the blood pressure, said Dr Rishi Sethi, senior faculty, department of cardiology at the King George’s Medical University (KGMU).

(Pic for representation)

“One should not have had tea, coffee or cigarette at least half-an-hour or one hour before the blood pressure is recorded. A good time to measure blood pressure is in the morning after one takes a shower. Duration before breakfast is also good for blood pressure monitoring. This I suppose is one good time as the person is normally relaxed,” said Dr Sethi, dean, innovation at the KGMU.

He said another good time slot is just before going to bed at night. “Give yourself five minutes of relaxation before you actually take the reading. Take reading twice to omit errors,” said Dr Sethi.

To mention, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the leading cause of deaths globally, taking an estimated 17.9 million lives each year, and India accounts for at least one-fifth of it.

During the press conference, the doctors also discussed the use of technology for healthcare. Sharing details of the MoU with the UP government, Dr Swadeep Srivastava, president of India Health Link (IHL) said, “MoU with the state government has been signed to develop ‘Make in India’ fully integrated Health ATMs. This will help in making healthcare accessible to all.”

“Technology if brought into healthcare gradually, can do a lot by making accessibility easier. Healthcare and technical advances can go on simultaneously,” said Dr Sethi.