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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