Sören Henschel fought in the “Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?” show on Monday (March 9, 2026) confidently as the last candidate of the evening. The student worked his way up to the 125,000 euro question relatively quickly. But this ultimately slowed the FDP member’s success.

“Who Wants to Be a Millionaire” candidate struggled with the 125,000 euro question

It read: “Anyone who hears Korotkoff noises is most likely doing something?”

A: measure blood pressure
B: watch a Super 8 film
C: milk a cow
D: peeing on an electric fence

Moderator Günther Jauch was happy about the “great question”, but the candidate was at a loss. Henschel drew his last joker – the telephone joker – but it couldn’t help either. To be on the safe side, the 24-year-old got out and secured 64,000 euros.

Korotkoff noises occur when measuring blood pressure

Then Jauch solved it: Korotkoff noises occur when measuring blood pressure. After the doctor places the cuff around the patient’s upper arm and pumps air into it, the pressure in the cuff is released again. Small tapping and rustling noises can be heard in the patient’s arm. The so-called Korotkoff sounds provide information about how high your blood pressure is.

Values ​​when measuring blood pressure in practice can be misleading

In Germany, almost one in three people has high blood pressure. Since it initially causes no symptoms, it is often recognized late. In addition, the values ​​when measuring blood pressure in a doctor’s office can be misleading – in both directions.

• Blood pressure appears during the measurement too high in practice, in everyday life but normal: This phenomenon is known as “white coat hypertension”, which can occur due to excitement during the examination. For a long time, doctors dismissed the increased values ​​as mere measurement errors. But new ones Studies show that this assumption may be premature. In many cases it can be an early warning sign of the development of permanent high blood pressure and an increased cardiovascular risk.
• Blood pressure appears during the measurement normal in practiceis in everyday life but often too high: In around 15 percent of people whose blood pressure is normal or only slightly elevated in practice, There is a so-called “masked hypertension”.. Their blood pressure rises unnoticed during everyday life and especially at night. According to the German High Pressure League The reasons for this are not yet entirely clear. However, it mostly affects people with high levels of professional or private stress – especially younger men.

According to Ami Schattner from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem and the Hadassah Medical Center, the conditions at home are often more realistic and show through frequent measurements how blood pressure develops in everyday life over several days. At the same time, independent measurement at home would strengthen patients’ own competence and participation in therapy.

Measuring blood pressure correctly: That’s what matters

But the measurement itself is also prone to errors, says Schattner. However, these mistakes can be easily avoided. His tips:

• The right time: Measure before taking medication and at least two hours after getting up to avoid the morning spike in blood pressure.
• Correct position: Sit comfortably with your back supported and your arm at table height.
• Measure multiple times: Take three measurements, each one minute apart. You should always discard the first measurement.
• No distractions: Remain calm and still during the measurement.

Further tips on measuring blood pressure and preventing high blood pressure find out in this article.