How to Take an Accurate Blood Pressure Reading at Home

Checking your blood pressure at home is one of the best things you can do for your heart health, but the numbers only matter if you take the reading the right way. A poorly placed cuff, a full bladder, or talking during the measurement can throw the result off by ten or fifteen points, which is enough to make a healthy reading look high or a high reading look fine. The good news is that taking an accurate reading is a small skill anyone can learn in a few minutes, and once you have the steps down, you can trust the numbers you write in your log.

The American Heart Association and the Mayo Clinic both recommend an upper-arm cuff over a wrist cuff for home use. Upper-arm cuffs sit at the same level as your heart and give the most reliable readings. Pick a cuff that fits the size of your arm. Most adults need a standard adult cuff, but people with larger arms need a large adult cuff. The right size matters because a cuff that is too small reads high and a cuff that is too large reads low. The box your monitor came in lists the arm sizes the cuff fits. Measure the middle of your upper arm with a tape measure if you are not sure.

Before you take a reading, sit quietly for five minutes. Do not measure right after walking up the stairs, drinking coffee, or smoking. Empty your bladder first, because a full bladder can raise the reading by ten or more points. Sit in a chair with your back supported, your feet flat on the floor, and your legs uncrossed. Rest your arm on a table so the cuff is at the level of your heart, which is roughly the middle of your chest. Place the cuff on bare skin, not over a sleeve, and line up the artery mark on the cuff with the inside of your arm.

When the cuff inflates, do not talk, do not look at your phone, and do not watch television. Sit still and breathe normally. Take two readings one minute apart, and write down both. Most experts say to measure twice in the morning before breakfast and twice in the evening before dinner, then bring the log to your next doctor visit. A pattern of readings tells your doctor far more than a single number, and home readings are often more accurate than the one taken at the office, where many people get nervous and read higher than usual.