Tips for taking accurate blood pressure readings

Using blood pressure monitors at home is an easy way to not only understand more about what those two little numbers mean to our health, they can also give us better control over our heart health.

The following tips to ensure accurate blood pressure readings at home:

  • Do not smoke, exercise, or consume anything for at least 30 minutes beforehand.
  • Sit quietly while taking your blood pressure – and for 5-10 minutes beforehand. 
  • While taking your reading, keep your legs uncrossed, your feet flat on the floor and your back straight.
  • Rest your arm on a table so that the cuff is at heart level.
  • To ensure consistency, measure two times a day - in the morning and in the evening is best - and at the same time each day (consider setting an alarm or using an app to remind you to take your readings).
  • Keep track of your daily readings, to look for patterns over time (if possible, look for a blood pressure monitor that automatically sends data to a corresponding app on a smartphone, which makes it easy and convenient to share information with family members and healthcare providers).

 

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