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When to Schedule Your Next Blood Pressure Screening
A blood pressure screening is a quick and non-invasive test that offers important information about your health. With this simple reading, you can quickly find out if you have high blood pressure that puts you at risk for hypertension and heart disease.
Getting your preventive health blood pressure screening often enough ensures that Thomas Nguyen, MD, and our team at Nguyen Medical Group in Boynton Beach, Florida, can detect high blood pressure early and treat potential problems. Learn how often you should be getting your blood pressure screened.
The importance of blood pressure screenings
Blood pressure screenings tell us if you’re at risk of developing hypertension, a disease that doesn’t have any visible symptoms. Without regular blood pressure readings, you could be silently building up to problems like heart disease, strokes, and heart attacks without knowing it.
A healthy blood pressure reading is ideally under 120/80. If you consistently have resting blood pressure readings of over 130/90, you have hypertension.
When to get blood pressure screenings
The frequency with which you need blood pressure screenings depends on your age, past blood pressure reading results, and your personal and family health history. Most adults can conveniently get their screening done as part of their annual physical.
Under age 40
Healthy younger adults with no risk factors for hypertension can get away with getting their blood pressure checked once every 2-5 years. However, our team usually checks the blood pressure of all adults during their annual physical.
If you’re under 40 and have a personal or family history of high blood pressure or other chronic conditions, you should have your blood pressure checked at least annually.
Over age 40
All adults 40 and up need to get their blood pressure checked at least once a year. If you’ve had previous high blood pressure readings or other medical problems, we might ask you to come in more often for screenings.
If you need frequent additional blood pressure readings, you can get some done at a nearby pharmacy or take your own at home. If you opt to take readings at home, we help you purchase a suitable device and teach you how to take readings.
Getting a blood pressure screening
To get an accurate blood pressure reading, don’t exercise, drink caffeine, or smoke for 30 minutes before your appointment. Arrive at your appointment a few minutes early so you have time to use the bathroom and relax before the test.
Our team usually measures your blood pressure when we take your height and weight. We might take a second reading later in your exam.
You sit comfortably in a chair with uncrossed legs while your arm is at heart level. Your clinician wraps a cuff around the top part of your arm. You might need to roll up the sleeves of a long-sleeved shirt.
Getting a blood pressure reading takes less than a minute. You feel the cuff squeeze your arm for a few seconds, which might feel slightly uncomfortable but isn’t painful or dangerous.
Our team immediately gives you your blood pressure reading. If your reading is very high or low, we might take it again or have you come back a few times in the following weeks to see if it has changed.
If your screening shows you’re at risk for hypertension, our team develops a plan to lower your blood pressure and reduce your risk. If it’s normal, you can expect another reading on your exam next year.
Our team is here to see you for your next blood pressure screening or annual physical. Contact us to schedule yours.
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