Blood Pressure Monitor

You may check your blood pressure at home to:

• Find out if you have high blood pressure .
• Keep track of how well your blood pressure medicine is working.
• Check how lifestyle changes, such as weight loss and exercise, are affecting blood pressure. Home monitoring can help you feel more involved in and more in control of your health care.
• Watch for changes in blood pressure that may be side effects of medicines.
• Check for problems with high blood pressure during pregnancy or with preeclampsia . To learn more, see the topic Preeclampsia and High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy.

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is often used if there is a big difference between the blood pressure readings you get at home and your readings in a doctor's office.

Before you take your blood pressure

• Don't eat, smoke, or exercise for at least 30 minutes before you take your blood pressure. And don't use any medicines that can raise blood pressure, such as certain nasal sprays.
• Rest at least 5 minutes before you take a reading. Sit in a comfortable, relaxed position with both feet on the floor.
• Try not to take your blood pressure when you are nervous or upset.

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring

You do not need to do anything to prepare. The monitor will automatically take your blood pressure while you do your normal daily activities.

Taking your blood pressure

Try to use the same arm for every reading. Readings may be 10 to 20 mm Hg different between your right arm and your left arm.

Ask your doctor:

• How often you should take your blood pressure. Your doctor may ask you to check it more often if your blood pressure is not well controlled or if you are taking new medicines or changing doses of a medicine.
• When you should take your blood pressure. Ask if you should take it at the same time each day or at different times of the day. Blood pressure readings are usually highest in the morning and lowest in the evening.

At first it is a good idea to take your blood pressure 3 times in a row, 5 or 10 minutes apart. As you get more used to taking your own blood pressure, you will only need to measure it once or twice each time.

The instructions may vary depending upon the type of blood pressure monitor you choose. Here are some general guidelines:

• Take your blood pressure while you feel relaxed. Before you start, sit quietly for at least 5 minutes with both feet on the floor.
• Sit with your arm slightly bent and resting on a table so that your upper arm is on the same level as your heart.
• Place the blood pressure cuff on the skin of your upper arm. You may have to roll up your sleeve, remove your arm from the sleeve, or take your shirt off.
• Wrap the blood pressure cuff snugly around your upper arm so that the lower edge of the cuff is about 1 in. (2.5 cm) above the bend of your elbow.
• Try not to move or talk while you are taking your blood pressure.

If you have an automatic monitor, follow the instructions that came with it. When you press the start button, the cuff will inflate automatically. The cuff will then deflate and the numbers on the screen will begin to drop. When the measurement is complete, your monitor displays your blood pressure and pulse rate.

To learn more about using automatic and manual monitors, see:

How It Feels

You may feel some discomfort when the blood pressure cuff inflates, squeezing your arm.

Risks

There is no chance of problems from this test.

Results

In general, the lower your blood pressure, the better. For example, a blood pressure reading of less than 90/60 is healthy as long as you feel okay. Talk to your doctor if you have low blood pressure and feel lightheaded, faint, or like you may vomit.

What Affects the Test

It is normal for blood pressure to go up and down from day to day and even from moment to moment. Stress, smoking, eating, exercise, cold, pain, noise, medicines, and even talking can affect it.

One high reading does not mean you have high blood pressure. And one normal reading may not mean you do not have high blood pressure. It is more accurate to take the average of several readings made throughout the day than to rely on a single reading.

Some people have high blood pressure only when they go to their doctor's office. This is called white-coat hypertension . It may be caused by stress about seeing your doctor. When you regularly check your blood pressure at home, you may find that your blood pressure is lower when you are not at the doctor's office.

What To Think About

Do not adjust your blood pressure medicines based on home blood pressure readings unless your doctor tells you to.

Organizations

American Heart Association

www.heart.org

National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (U.S.)

www.nhlbi.nih.gov

Citations

1. Weber MA, et al. (2013). Clinical practice guidelines for the management of hypertension in the community. Journal of Clinical Hypertension. DOI: 10.1111/jch.12237. Accessed December 19, 2013.

Other Works Consulted

• American Heart Association. (2005). Recommendations for blood pressure measurement in humans and experimental animals. Part 1: Blood pressure measurement in humans. AHA Scientific Statement. Hypertension, 45(1): 142–161.
• Pickering TG, et al. (2008). Call to action on use and reimbursement for home blood pressure monitoring. A joint scientific statement from the American Heart Association, American Society of Hypertension, and Preventive Cardiovascular Nurses Association. , 52(1): 10–29.

Credits

ByHealthwise Staff
Primary Medical Reviewer E. Gregory Thompson, MD - Internal Medicine