How to take your blood pressure at home

Checking your blood pressure at home helps you and your doctor know how it really is, away from the nerves of a doctor’s visit. What matters is not a single reading but the average over several days.

Before you measure

• In the 30 minutes before, don’t smoke, don’t drink coffee or drinks with caffeine, and don’t exercise.
• Go to the bathroom: a full bladder raises your blood pressure.
• Use an automatic upper-arm monitor that has been validated (ask at your appointment whether your model is), with a cuff that is the right size for your arm.

How to measure

1. Sit with your back supported, your feet on the floor and your legs uncrossed. Rest for about 5 minutes.
2. Put the cuff on your bare arm, with the bottom edge a little above the bend of your elbow.
3. Rest your arm on a table, at the level of your heart.
4. Don’t talk or look at your phone while you measure.
5. Take two readings, one minute apart, and write down both.
6. Measure at the same times every day, for example in the morning and at night, for one week or as your doctor tells you.

Write down your results in the log below and bring it to your appointment.