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The only way to tell if you have high blood pressure is to have it checked. Checking your blood pressure is easy, quick and painless. Your blood pressure will be measured when you visit your health care provider, but it is also important that you check your own blood pressure at home.

…By your health care professional

Most often, blood pressures in the office are measured using electronic devices. To measure your blood pressure, the health care provider wraps a special cuff around your arm. The machine inflates the cuff to squeeze your arm, and then the air is slowly released and the cuff gradually deflates. The electronic device will measure your blood pressure and report it in 鈥渕illimeters of mercury鈥� (mmHg) to reflect the pressure in your blood vessels

Your provider will report your blood pressure as the systolic pressure over the diastolic pressure. Discuss with your provider what your target blood pressure should be.

Your blood pressure can be affected by simple things like talking during the measurement or crossing your legs while the measurement is being taken. Before and during your blood pressure measured in the office,

• Do not eat, smoke, or exercise for at least 30 minutes; do not use any medicine that can raise blood pressure (i.e. nasal sprays).
• Rest at least 5 minutes before your blood pressure is measured. Sit in a comfortable, relaxed position with both feet on the floor. Do not move or talk while the blood pressure is being measured.
• Use the bathroom if you need to before getting your blood pressure checked.

…At home

How do you choose a home blood pressure monitoring device?

If you are buying your own blood pressure monitor to use at home, there are a few points to consider.

• Finger cuffs on blood pressure monitors are less accurate and are not recommended. For most patients, arm cuffs are most accurate, but wrist cuffs are a good choice if you cannot find a cuff to fit your upper arm.
• It is important to purchase a monitor that has the correct cuff size for your upper arm. Measure the circumference of your arm (or have your provider measure it) and check to make sure that your new cuff will fit. Also, most cuffs have lines showing whether they are of the proper length when wrapped around the arm.
• While there are many accurate monitors available, some devices on the market have not been independently tested to make sure that they are reliable. Lists of validated monitors are available on this website. Bring your blood pressure monitor to your healthcare provider鈥檚 office so that it can be checked to be sure that it鈥檚 accurate in you.
• Monitors are available with larger displays that are easier to read.

The following table lists a few of the devices that have been validated (confirmed to be accurate) by respected organizations.

How do I make sure I am measuring my blood pressure accurately?

Follow these steps to make sure that you are measuring your blood pressure accurately.

Before you take your blood pressure:

• Do not measure your blood pressure within 30 minutes of smoking, drinking alcohol, eating, or vigorous exercise. Do not take decongestants for 30 minutes before you take your blood pressure.
• Sit comfortably in a chair with your arm resting on a counter top or table at about the level of your heart.
• Sit with your back supported while keeping your feet flat on the floor.
• Use the bathroom if you need to before taking your blood pressure
• Remove clothing from the arm before applying the cuff.
• Rest for 5 minutes.

When you are ready to take your blood pressure:

• Continue to sit with your back supported, your legs uncrossed, and your feet flat on the floor.
• Follow the instructions for your device. Put the cuff on by wrapping it around your bare arm above your elbow. Face the palm of your hand up to relax your arm muscles.
• Rest your arm on a table or another flat surface at the level of your heart. Keep it stretched out and relaxed. Sit still.
• Do not talk while taking your blood pressure.
• Following the directions of the monitor you are using, press the button to start the machine. The cuff will inflate and slowly deflate by itself.

Recording your blood pressure:

• The machine will display two numbers. Write down both numbers, and the data and time of the measurement if the machine does not store that information automatically. If there is a pulse recorded on the display, write that down too. Record every measurement (even if you think it is incorrect!).
• Wait one minute and then repeat the steps. You should always check at least two measurements one minute apart and write them down. This is one set of blood pressure readings.
• Make one set of blood pressure readings in the morning before taking your medications and another in the late afternoon before supper. Do this one or more days each week and then every day during the week prior to your next visit to your health care provider.

Remember to bring your record of blood pressure readings and your monitor to your clinic appointment. Your health care provider may periodically check the accuracy of your home blood pressure device.

You may record your home blood pressure readings on the charts that can be downloaded from this site. You may not need to use it if your blood pressure device is able to store your readings, and you are able to share those readings with your health care provider.

…Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring

Your health care provider may decide to have you undergo Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM). ABPM may be done to get a more accurate measurement of your average blood pressure, or because you have different readings in the doctor鈥檚 office than at home, or for other reasons. This test has been available for years, and many thousands of patients have undergone ABPM without difficulty. You will wear a portable blood pressure monitor on your arm that will measure your blood pressure frequently over 24 hours (during the daytime and while you are asleep at night). From the information obtained and stored in the recorder, a report will be produced. Your health care provider will use this report to help manage your blood pressure.