Tips for accurate use

No matter what type of home blood pressure monitor you choose, proper use requires training and practice. Take the device to your healthcare professional to make sure the one you've chosen is the best fit for you. Learn to use the monitor correctly.

To help make sure you're checking your blood pressure at home correctly:

• Check to be sure your device is correct. Before using a monitor, have your healthcare professional compare the readings from your monitor with the readings from the monitor in the medical office. Also have them watch you use the device to see if you're doing it correctly. If you drop the device or damage it, have it checked before using it again.
• At the beginning, measure your blood pressure at least twice daily. Take it first in the morning before eating or taking any medicine. Take it again in the evening. Each time you measure, take two or three readings to make sure your results are the same. Your healthcare professional might recommend taking your blood pressure at the same times each day.
• Don't measure your blood pressure right after you wake up. You can prepare for the day, but don't eat breakfast or take medicine before measuring your blood pressure. If you exercise after waking, take your blood pressure before exercising.
• Avoid food, caffeine, tobacco and alcohol for 30 minutes before taking a reading. Also, empty your bladder first. A full bladder can increase blood pressure slightly.
• Sit quietly before and during monitoring. When you're ready to take your blood pressure, sit for five minutes in a comfortable position with your legs and ankles uncrossed. Your back should be supported against a chair. Try to be calm and not think about stressful things. Don't talk while taking your blood pressure.
• Make sure your arm is positioned correctly. Always use the same arm when taking your blood pressure. Rest your arm, raised to the level of your heart, on a table, desk or chair arm. You might need to place a pillow or cushion under your arm to raise it high enough.
• Place the cuff on bare skin, not over clothing. A rolled-up sleeve that's tight around your arm can affect the reading. You may need to slip your arm out of the sleeve.
• Take a repeat reading. Wait 1 to 3 minutes after the first reading, and then take another. If your monitor doesn't keep track of blood pressure readings or heart rates, write them down.

Blood pressure varies throughout the day. Readings are often a little higher in the morning. Also, your blood pressure might be slightly lower at home than in a medical office.

Contact your healthcare professional if you have any unusual increases in your blood pressure or if your blood pressure stays higher than usual. Ask them at what reading you should call the medical office right away.