How Do You Sleep Comfortably With an Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitor?
Most people are familiar only with regular blood pressure reading methods that involve taking BP readings at home or clinic. At best, some patients receive advice to take BP readings 2-4 times a day. However, some patients receive advice for an ambulatory blood pressure reading. It requires using a portable automatic BP monitor continuously for 24 hours. Doctors recommend an ambulatory blood pressure monitor (ABPM) for people with high blood pressure or hypertension.
This BP reading method is advised because single BP snapshots may not be an accurate way to assess a person’s HBP condition. A person can have normal BP at home or clinic, but the actual BP may be slightly different from this reading. Ambulatory BP readings taken over 24 hours give more accurate BP results. What is ABPM, how does it work, and can you sleep comfortably while wearing it at night?
What Do You Mean by Ambulatory Blood Pressure?
The term “ambulatory” is used in the medical context to indicate a patient who is not bedridden and can walk around. Those suffering from high blood pressure do not have the same BP number throughout the day – it varies due to various factors like physical exertion, rest, stress, sleep, and other reasons. When an HBP patient takes BP at home or clinic, it is a snapshot of the BP at that very moment.
This reading does not indicate an accurate BP, so doctors want to know the most accurate representative BP to see if the patient is responding to the suggested treatment plan, which may include lifestyle changes and medication. BP reading taken at rest is not the same as when the person is doing some physical activity. These are the reasons an ambulatory blood pressure monitor is used to know the best representative BP number.
What Is an Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitor?
It is a portable blood pressure monitoring device for taking BP readings automatically at different times when in use. The machine is used to take BP readings over 24 hours. The person using it can go about daily activities, including sleeping and doing other household chores – the device inflates and deflates and takes readings at set intervals of 15-30 minutes.
The readings obtained this way are stored in the device’s memory and can be checked later; this data can be uploaded to a computer and shared with the doctor. An ambulatory BP monitor may also have a heart rate monitor and keep a record of this reading as well.
How Do You Prepare for Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring?
You will receive some instruction at the clinic or hospital where you are undergoing treatment for HBP and have received advice for using this device. Before using the device, check its manual and follow the instructions about how to wear its cuff and keep its monitor. Wear comfortable clothing that does not hinder attaching its cuff and obstructing its pipe. Also, know the activities you can do and the ones you should avoid when using it.
Your doctor will likely advise you to continue your HBP medication as usual during this period. Do not avoid something that is part of your daily activity – go about your daily activities as usual so the monitor can take the BP readings accurately. That is the main goal of this ambulatory blood pressure reading – to take BP readings at different times of the day.
Benefits of Ambulatory Blood Pressure Readings
Blood pressure varies throughout the day for different reasons, mainly due to daily activities. Each activity requires a different level of physical effort, so you will get a different BP reading at rest than when doing some activity that requires lots of physical exertion. Some issues like stress also can increase BP. A blood pressure reading taken at home or clinic in a set setting may be normal, or very high if the patient is anxious and stressed.
An accurate BP of an HBP patient can be assessed only after taking into account different BP readings at different times of the day. Its benefit is that the doctor can determine the best HBP medication for the patient. An optimum HBP control and management plan can be prepared after knowing this data.
Those with highly variable blood pressure, which puts them at risk of cardiovascular incidents, can utilize Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM) to detect fluctuations over 24 hours, allowing healthcare professionals to customize the treatment plan based on these readings.
How Do You Sleep with an Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitor?
Most devices in this range are similar to digital BP monitors but more portable and designed for carrying on the body – you wear the cuff of an ABPM on the upper arm. Its machine, powered by an onboard battery set, inflates and deflates this cuff at set intervals. You wear its sling pouch to carry the main device, which connects to the cuff with the air pipe – you sleep wearing all these parts of this device.
If you need a high blood pressure treatment plan tailored to your specific medical requirements, including issues associated with an ambulatory blood pressure monitor, please contact Dr. Shimon Storch, who will provide all the necessary information.
