Blood Pressure Monitoring: The Importance of Regular Check-Ups

Measure your blood pressure twice each day at the same time, ideally morning and evening, allowing at least an extra minute in between readings.

Record both your systolic and diastolic readings using an accurate digital monitor that fits on your upper arm, such as 120/80. Avoid eating, drinking caffeinated drinks and smoking 30 minutes prior to measuring.

Monitoring Your Blood Pressure

Blood pressure measures the force exerted by your blood against your arteries. It's typically expressed as two numbers: systolic pressure over diastolic pressure (120/80 mm Hg).

Monitors are easily available for purchase and use at home, often offering digital readouts that are simple and user-friendly. Manual devices called sphygmomanometers may also be used, following their manufacturer's instructions to take accurate readings.

Measure your blood pressure at the same time every day, ideally morning and evening. Avoid caffeine, smoking and exercise immediately prior to taking measurements. Sit comfortably on a chair while relaxing - using the same arm each time for more accurate readings.Take blood pressure medications if results show imbalance. Record all results either in a notebook, computer or mobile health record - such as keeping track of both systolic and diastolic pressure readings as well as dates/times when each reading was taken.

Understanding Your Results

Individuals living with high blood pressure may initially feel intimidated by taking their readings at home, but once they become familiar with the process and understand its potential benefits they'll likely feel more at ease with regular monitoring. "Know Your Numbers!" Week is an ideal opportunity to encourage them to purchase a monitor and begin tracking their own readings independently.

More frequent monitoring can also help physicians detect masked hypertension, or elevated blood pressure that doesn't show up at a doctor's office, sooner, so lifestyle adjustments or medications can be implemented sooner to improve outcomes.

Patients should regularly take two to three readings every day, one minute apart and record their results, says Commodore-Mensah. They should avoid caffeine consumption or physical exercise within 30 minutes before measuring; five minutes of sitting quietly prior to measuring will ensure more accurate results; they can write down or use an app on their smartphone to share these measurements with their physician, according to this method of measurement.

Taking Action

Patients with high blood pressure should keep track of their pressures at home to help avoid hypertension. Research suggests that self-monitoring blood pressure (SMBP) plus clinical support is an effective means for controlling their blood pressure levels.

Patients should monitor both systolic and diastolic pressure at least twice each day using a digital device worn on the upper arm in a quiet setting without interruptions such as TVs, conversations or reading material. After inflating their cuff, take note of any results on paper or enter them into their electronic health record system.

At an optimal level, measurements should be taken both morning and evening - before and after meals as well as at bedtime - in order to create an accurate depiction of blood pressure readings and prevent white coat hypertension - when blood pressure surges when patients become anxious about medical appointments and herbal medicine leading to inaccurate readings.

Monitoring Your Health

At home, using a monitor allows individuals to regularly measure their blood pressure. This information provides health care providers with useful insights that could detect elevated readings before symptoms manifest themselves. For optimal results, people should opt for digital monitors equipped with a cuff that fits around the upper arm.

If you decide to monitor your blood pressure at home, experts recommend beginning by taking it twice daily for one week (with readings taken one minute apart). Next, aim to take 12 measurements each month --ideally once morning and evening using both arms -- with at least 30 minutes between measures in which to empty your bladder, avoid caffeine consumption, smoking or exercising.

Home blood pressure monitoring can also help identify whether your blood pressure is affected by stress of visiting medical offices (known as white coat hypertension) and decrease costly visits to doctors or hospitals. Furthermore, home monitoring provides better control through providing ownership over numbers that could spur lifestyle changes, including diet and physical activity changes.