Does your blood pressure soar at the doctor’s office? If so, you’ll want to try a home blood pressure monitor. It’s convenient, inexpensive – and the results may surprise you!
If you have high blood pressure, you don’t have to wait until a doctor’s appointment to measure your blood pressure. A home blood pressure monitor can give your doctor important feedback and give you the motivation you need to lower your numbers. A recent study published in the American Journal of Hypertension found that high blood pressure patients who monitored blood pressure at home lowered their blood pressure by 3.3 mm Hg more than patients with office-only blood pressure measurement.
By using a home blood pressure monitor, you can also take more accurate readings of your resting blood pressure. The home environment helps eliminate “white coat hypertension”—a condition where blood pressure rises owing to the stress of a visit to the doctor.
There are many different models of home blood pressure monitors. James Weiss, M.D., Professor of Medicine at Johns Hopkins, recommends a digital automatic cuff that fits around the arm as “the very best way of monitoring high blood pressure.” Automatic cuffs inflate at the touch of a button, eliminating the need for a bulb pump. The digital display is easy to read and can also store readings and other medical information, such as pulse rate. And a cuff that fits around the arm measures blood pressure in the brachial artery, the method used in doctors’ offices.
Fingertip and wrist models, while popular, can give unreliable readings. Most digital automatic blood pressure monitors cost between $50 and $100. It’s important that you make sure that your blood pressure monitor is producing accurate readings. Before you start using your home blood pressure monitor, ask a health care professional to show you how the machine works and to test it for accuracy. You can also find out where you can take your monitor for regular “checkups.” (Pharmacists often can perform accuracy checks.) Dr. Weiss suggests that you take duplicate readings to make sure that your monitor is functioning properly.
Tips for home monitoring:
-
Don’t exercise, eat, or drink caffeinated beverages for 30 minutes before measuring your blood pressure;
-
Silently rest for 3 to 5 minutes before you start. And don’t forget to take off any jewelry or clothing that could interfere with the cuff placement;
-
Once you’re ready to take your blood pressure reading, sit down in a comfortable position, with your back supported and your legs uncrossed and feet on the floor;
-
Strap the cuff around the upper part of your arm (at least 1 inch above the crease of your elbow), tightly enough so that only a fingertip can fit under the cuff. Keep your arm at waist level;
-
Measure your blood pressure at different times of the day. According to Dr. Weiss, “Usually blood pressure is lower in the early morning than in the evening, so measuring at various times of the day is helpful.”
