How to Measure Blood Pressure at Home

Learning how to measure your blood pressure at home is a great skill to have. You don’t have to be a medic or a nurse to give yourself a high blood pressure diagnosis. You can do it all from the comfort of your own home, and if you notice that the pressure is too high, you can then pay a visit to the doctor. With that said, today, we will show you how to measure blood pressure at home. Make sure to stick around for the end because we will also share some tips to help you get accurate readings.

How to Measure Blood Pressure at Home

Even though measuring your blood pressure might seem complicated, we assure you that this is easier than you think. If you have the right equipment at home, you just have to find the right size cuff for your arm. However, there are still some important things that you need to do in order to get the most accurate readings possible. Follow the tips below.

1. Do not smoke, exercise, or drink caffeinated beverages for at least half an hour before measuring your blood pressure at home;
2. Find a comfortable place and rest for five minutes before taking the reading;
3. It would be best if you sat with your back straight, and your feet need to be flat on the floor. Do not cross them. The arm that you are using the equipment on should sit on a flat surface at heart level.
4. Follow your equipment’s instruction booklet to find the right position for the cuff and to inflate it. If you are using dual monitors, you will need to squeeze the bulb.
5. It’s always better to take multiple readings and record the results. The readings should be one minute apart. Most blood pressure monitors will have a built-in memory that can store your readings in a printable PDF tracker.
6. Do not take measurements over clothes.

Left Arm or Right Arm?

According to multiple studies, the difference in blood pressure between arms is less than 10 mm Hg. This means that it doesn’t really matter which arm you use to measure the blood pressure. The difference is too low to matter.

Good and Bad Numbers

We want to mention that you need to visit a doctor if you have a high blood pressure diagnosis. We will help you figure out what are the good and bad numbers. Check out the list below:

What to do When You Get a High Blood Pressure Reading

There is no reason to panic if you get a high blood pressure reading. A single reading is not a reason to call the ambulance. Our advice is that whenever you get a slightly higher reading than your normal ones, you should consult with a healthcare professional such as a family medic to let you know if there is a health concern.

If your blood pressure suddenly reads 180/120mm Hg, our advice is to relax and wait for five minutes. Then, you should test again and see if the readings are dropping. If they are not, you could be experiencing a hypertensive crisis, and you should call a doctor.

How to Choose a Home Blood Pressure Monitor

There are multiple devices that you can pick, but the American Heart Association recommends an automatic, cuff-style, bicep (upper-arm) monitor. Here are the additional factors that you need to consider:

• While wrist and finger monitors are the most popular models, they are not recommended. The reason behind this is that they do not provide the most accurate readings.
• When searching for a new blood pressure monitor, you should make sure that it has been validated. You can find out this information by asking your doctor or pharmacist. 
• Another important tip that you need to consider is that the cuff fits well. You can measure this around your upper arm.

A great idea after buying a new blood pressure monitor is to bring it to your doctor at your next visit. The doctor will be able to test it out and let you know if the readings are accurate. The doctor will immediately tell if the device is working well or if you need to take it back.