Several key mistakes could throw off the accuracy of blood pressure readings for people who take them at home.

The average “normal” blood pressure is 120/80, according to the American Heart Association.

Almost half of all U.S. adults have elevated blood pressure (systolic pressure between 120 and 19 and diastolic pressure less than 80). High blood pressure (hypertension, which is when the systolic pressure is between 130 and 139 or diastolic pressure is between 80 and 89) can raise the risk of heart attack and stroke if left untreated, per the AHA.

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“It is very common to see patients with bad data,” said Dr. Bradley Serwer, a Maryland-based cardiologist and chief medical officer at VitalSolution, an Ingenovis Health company that offers cardiovascular and anesthesiology services to hospitals.

“It is essential to follow the proper standardized instructions.”

The cardiologist shared with Fox News Digital the following common mistakes he often sees patients make when monitoring their blood pressure.

1. Using the wrong arm position

Certain arm positions can lead to inflated results and misdiagnoses of hypertension. This was supported by recent research from Johns Hopkins Medicine.

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People who rested their arms on their laps drove up the top number in the blood pressure reading (systolic pressure) by nearly 4 mmHg, while leaving their arm hanging at their side increased it by nearly 7 mmHg.

For the most accurate results, the guidelines are to rest the arm on a desk or another firm surface at the same level as the heart, Serwer told Fox News Digital.

2. Sitting in the wrong position

“The proper position is to sit upright with your feet on the floor and your legs uncrossed, resting your arm on a flat surface that is level with your heart,” Serwer advised.

Certain arm positions can lead to inflated results and misdiagnoses of hypertension, research has shown. (iStock)

3. Using the wrong type or size of cuff

If the cuff is too large or small, measurements will be abnormal, the cardiologist cautioned. 

“Most blood pressure monitors use either an arm cuff or a wrist cuff,” he said. “Arm cuffs tend to be more accurate and require fewer steps to ensure accuracy.”

4. Not calibrating the cuff

Serwer said he typically asks all patients to bring their home cuff to the office, where he first measures their blood pressure manually and then uses the patient’s cuff.  

“We can then assess the accuracy of their cuff,” he said.

5. Not allowing enough time to equilibrate

The most accurate results are obtained after sitting in a low-stress environment for five minutes, Serwer noted.

“Know your blood pressure, even if you are healthy.”

6. Drinking caffeine beforehand

“Avoid stimulants before measuring your pressure, as caffeine will raise it,” Serwer said.

7. Checking at different times of day

When taking blood pressure, Serwer recommends checking it twice and waiting at least one minute between measurements. 

“Blood pressure fluctuates throughout the day, so checking your pressure at the same time each day gives us a better trend,” he added.

Serwer also advises his patients to track their blood pressure readings in a log.

“If the average blood pressure reading is greater than 130/80, they have stage I hypertension and should be evaluated by their primary care provider,” a cardiologist said.  (iStock)

“If the average blood pressure reading is greater than 130/80, they have stage I hypertension and should be evaluated by their primary care provider,” he said. 

“If their blood pressure is greater than 180/100 or if they have symptoms of chest pain, shortness of breath or severe headache, they should seek immediate attention.”

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Even if there are no other symptoms other than high blood pressure, Serwer emphasizes that people shouldn’t wait until they have complications before treating hypertension.

“Heart attacks, strokes, renal failure and peripheral vascular disease can often be avoided with early interventions,” he said.

In most cases, making lifestyle changes such as improving your diet, exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy weight can help keep blood pressure within a safe range, according to the AHA. (iStock)

“Know your blood pressure, even if you are healthy.”

In most cases, making lifestyle changes such as improving your diet, exercising regularly and maintaining a healthy weight can help keep blood pressure within a safe range, according to the AHA.

For more Health articles, visit www.foxnews.com/health

When necessary, a doctor can provide guidance on medications to treat hypertension that does not respond to lifestyle changes.

A married couple who have long enjoyed the game of Scrabble both together and separately before they even met are never at a loss for words — and attribute their wedded bliss in part to their love of the nostalgic game.

They’re still playing in tournaments built around the game decades after they began doing so.

Graham Harding and his wife Helen Harding, both in their 60s, have been married for over 20 years.

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They met in the 1990s at Scrabble tournaments, as news agency SWNS reported.

But it was a “special match” in 2000 that brought the couple together — and has kept them together now.

Graham Harding is from the East Berkshire Scrabble Club, while his wife Helen is from the Leicester Scrabble Club in the U.K.

They have been taking part in the UK Open Scrabble Championship in Reading this week.

“The more words you know, the more ammunition you’ve got.”

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“Scrabble is all about having a good vocabulary,” said Graham Harding, SWNS noted.

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“But it is a Scrabble vocabulary — not necessarily everyday English.”

Added Helen Harding, “The more words you know, the more ammunition you’ve got.”

Graham and Helen Harding’s wedding cake. They bonded over their love of Scrabble – and are still playing in tournaments together.  (Courtesy Graham and Helen Harding via SWNS)

The couple said they were “vague acquaintances” for about five years after they first met.

Then they got together after a special match in Swindon.

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They maintained a long-distance relationship before they got married in 2004.

The couple even brought their Scrabble board to their wedding. 

The couple likely have played thousands of games between them.  (Courtesy Graham and Helen Harding via SWNS)

It featured a message with Scrabble pieces that said, “Congratulations on your wedding day” — while their wedding cake said, in Scrabble letters, “Helen and Graham.”

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They each took up the hobby early in life well before they met each other. 

The tournament that’s been taking place this week is the first since the COVID pandemic after a five-year break — and the couple has played some two dozen games in it as of Friday, SWNS reported. 

It might be worth working a little bit harder to get that much-desired, but often elusive, good night’s sleep.

Deep sleep clears the mind of waste just as a “dishwasher” cleans dirty plates and glasses, just-published research suggests — and there’s more.

The findings also offer insights into how sleeping pills may disrupt the “brainwashing” system — potentially affecting cognitive function for people over the long run.

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Study senior author professor Maiken Nedergaard of the University of Rochester and the University of Copenhagen said norepinephrine (a neurotransmitter and hormone) triggers blood vessels to contract — generating slow pulsations that create a rhythmic flow in the surrounding fluid to carry away waste, news agency SWNS noted.

Said Nedergaard, “It’s like turning on the dishwasher before you go to bed and waking up with a clean brain. . . . We’re essentially asking what drives this process and trying to define restorative sleep based on” this “glymphatic clearance.”

The brain has a built-in waste removal process – the glymphatic system – that circulates fluid in the brain and spinal cord to clear out waste, according to the scientists. 

The process helps remove toxic proteins that form sticky plaques linked to neurological disorders, such as Alzheimer’s disease.

But the scientists indicated that what drives the system was unclear until now, according to the study.

Is all sleep created equal? The researchers wanted to find out.

To find clues, Nedergaard and her team looked into what happens in mice when their brains sleep, as SWNS reported of the study. The team focused on the relationship between norepinephrine and blood flow during deep sleep.

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They found that norepinephrine waves correlate to variations in brain blood volume — suggesting that norepinephrine triggers a rhythmic pulsation in the blood vessels. The researchers then compared the changes in blood volume to brain fluid flow.

The brain fluid flow fluctuates in correspondence to blood volume changes, suggesting the vessels act as pumps to propel the surrounding brain fluid to flush out waste.

During deep sleep, toxic proteins that form sticky plaques linked to neurological disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease are removed, scientists say in a new study.  (iStock)

Natalie Hauglund of the University of Copenhagen and the University of Oxford, the study’s lead author, said, “You can view norepinephrine as [the] conductor of an orchestra.” 

She added, “There’s a harmony in the constriction and dilation of the arteries, which then drives the cerebrospinal fluid through the brain to remove the waste products.”  

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Hauglund said she wanted to understand whether all sleep is created equal. 

To find out, the research team administered zolpidem, a common drug to aid sleep, to mice.

“If people aren’t getting the full benefits of sleep, they should be aware of that, so they can make informed decisions.” 

They found that the norepinephrine waves during deep sleep were 50% lower in zolpidem-treated mice than in naturally sleeping mice. 

Although the zolpidem-treated mice fell asleep more quickly — fluid transport into the brain dropped more than 30%, as SWNS reported.

Two new studies indicate the importance of getting a good night’s sleep — with one study saying a lack of sleep may be sabotaging the brain’s ability to keep intrusive thoughts at bay. (iStock)

The researchers say their findings, published in the journal Cell, suggest that the sleeping aid may disrupt the norepinephrine-driven waste clearance during sleep.

Hauglund said, “More and more people are using sleep medication, and it’s really important to know if that’s healthy sleep. If people aren’t getting the full benefits of sleep, they should be aware of that, so they can make informed decisions.” 

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The research team said the findings likely apply to humans, who also have a glymphatic system, although it requires further testing.

Nedergaard added, “Now we know norepinephrine is driving the cleaning of the brain, we may figure out how to get people a long and restorative sleep.”

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Meanwhile, a lack of sleep may be doing more damage than just making people groggy.

It could be sabotaging the brain’s ability to keep intrusive thoughts at bay.

Anyone who suffers from sleep deprivation may find that the brain’s defense against unwanted memories is weakened, say experts. (iStock)

Another new study, this one published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, found that sleep deprivation weakens the brain’s defense against unwanted memories, allowing them to flood the mind, according to the New York Post. 

“We show that sleep deprivation disrupts prefrontal inhibition of memory retrieval, and that the overnight restoration of this inhibitory mechanism is associated with time spent in rapid eye movement (REM) sleep,” the scientists said.