Monitoring Your Blood Pressure at Home
Key points
- Monitoring your blood pressure at home helps you and your doctor choose how to treat your high blood pressure.
- There are many easy-to-use blood pressure monitors available.
- This depends on several things, such as your usual blood pressure and how well it is controlled.
- Your doctor will tell you what your goals should be.
Why should I monitor my blood pressure at home?
Monitoring your blood pressure at home helps you and your doctor choose how to treat your high blood pressure. Controlling it can help lower the risk of problems with your heart, kidneys, and eyes.
How do I monitor my blood pressure at home?
There are many easy-to-use blood pressure monitors available. You can buy them at most drug stores and medical supply stores. Electronic blood pressure monitors display your blood pressure. The cuffs can be inflated by hand or automatically.
Be sure to use a cuff that fits you, and don't wear tight clothes when checking your blood pressure. Rest quietly before and during measurement. Rest your arm at heart level during measurement. Don't exercise or use any caffeine, nicotine, or other stimulants 30 minutes before taking your blood pressure.
Your doctor or pharmacist can help you choose a monitor and teach you how to use it.
How often should I monitor my blood pressure?
This depends on several things, such as your usual blood pressure and how well it is controlled. Your doctor will tell you how often to check your blood pressure.
What should my blood pressure be?
This varies from person to person. Your doctor will tell you what your goals should be. Also, ask your doctor what to do if you get readings above or below your goals.
Blood pressure goal: --
Contact your doctor if your blood pressure is: --
Written and revised by
Gerald Hurowitz, M.D.
Our doctors write and review articles for accuracy and keep them up to date.
health.am provides general information, not medical advice. Always consult a qualified health professional about your own health.
Explore health topics
More in this topic
Heart & Blood Vessels →
NewsEating out = high blood pressure?
A recent study on university-going young adults, by researchers from the Duke-NUS Graduate Medical School Singapore (Duke-NUS), is the first ever to show an association between meals eaten away from home and high blood…
11 April 2015
NewsMortality and blood pressure directly linked to relationship quality
While other studies have shown that stress and negative marital quality can influence mortality and blood pressure, there has not been research that discussed how it might affect married couples over time. Using…
9 April 2015
NewsProlonged shortened sleep increases blood pressure at night
People exposed to prolonged periods of shortened sleep have significant increases in blood pressure during nighttime hours, Mayo Clinic researchers report in a small study of eight participants. Results of the study…
14 March 2015
