6 Pro Tips for Checking Your Blood Pressure at Home

Is your blood pressure sometimes elevated?

Don’t worry. From minute to minute, depending on your situation, your blood pressure can spike — and sometimes without obvious symptoms. The good news is that it typically reverts to normal when the stimulus passes.

But blood pressure that remains elevated, even slightly, may cause issues. That’s when action is needed.

About Blood Pressure

High blood pressure is often called the “silent killer” because its symptoms don’t present until the pressure becomes dangerous. When blood pressure stays consistently elevated, it damages blood vessel walls, leading to stroke, aneurysm, or other troubles.

The best way to get ahead of irregularities before they become problems is to visit your concierge physician regularly. And between visits, you can monitor your blood pressure at home.

Blood pressure measurement considers the maximum pressure your blood vessels receive — when your heart’s fully contracted and vessels push and squeeze as hard as they can. Although different for everyone, blood pressure in the normal range may read something like this — 120/70 — with the top (systolic) number representing those contractions and the bottom (diastolic) number representing the pressure when ventricles relax between heartbeats.

Self-Check Tip #1: Measure Blood Pressure at the Site You Frequent Most — Most Likely, Your Home

Your Priority Physicians doctor measures your pressure during your office visit. But you can also use a blood pressure cuff to periodically check your pressure at home and share your results with us.

Why is this sensible? Because you do most of your living outside your doctor’s office. As a physician, I like to understand how your blood pressure looks in the environment where you spend most of your time.

When you come to the office, you may arrive feeling rushed because of traffic delays, harried from a hectic day, or even anxious about having a medical checkup or discussion. Any of these scenarios can artificially elevate blood pressure.

So, at Priority Physicians, we find it helpful when patients supplement our measurements by bringing us data from their at-home blood pressure monitoring. I can assess the results of your self-checks, gain insight into any significant changes or interesting trends in your numbers over time, and offer advice or help as needed.

Self-Check Tip #2: Avoid Excessive Checking and Re-Checking

Blood pressure constantly fluctuates uniquely for each individual. It temporarily shifts based on simple factors like how much caffeine you consume, what you eat, how stressed you are, or how well you slept last night.

You may check your pressure and get one reading, then check again two minutes later and see radically different results. Or, if your pressure’s slightly elevated on your initial check, you could become nervous or anxious, causing you to compulsively check it a few more times, only to find your numbers rising along with your anxiety.

At Priority Physicians, we don’t recommend checking your blood pressure constantly or repeatedly. Our advice:

• Self-check once a month if your blood pressure tends toward the normal range and you’re at low risk for high numbers. Your doctor can provide advice on a “normal range” for you.
• When you self-check, only record the initial reading you get. Resist the temptation to take repeated readings.
• If your pressure strays a bit out of normal range whenever you measure it, begin checking once every week or two. Report any consistent elevation to your Priority Physicians doctor. Together, we’ll catch any issues early.
• If you feel dizzy or ill, check your blood pressure. Report anything irregular to your doctor.

Self-Check Tip #3: Follow Proper Technique and Positioning When Taking Your Blood Pressure

Your blood pressure reading’s accuracy depends on the correct technique, posture, and placement when measuring. It also depends on whether the reading truly represents your blood pressure.

For instance, you may have perfect technique, but if you take a reading when you’re overly anxious, took a particular medication, recently drank three cups of coffee, or just finished an energetic workout, your reading may be technically correct but not typical of your usual blood pressure.

To get a good reading, follow these simple steps:

• Invest in a blood pressure cuff that encircles your upper arm. Wrist cuffs often give inaccurately elevated readings.
• Seat yourself for 15 minutes in a calm, non-stressful environment.
• Fasten the cuff securely, but don’t make it too tight. Attaching it too tightly can be painful, and on a smaller person it may increase blood pressure!
• Sit upright during your self-check, legs and ankles uncrossed.
• Relax your wrist and arm on the cuffed side.
• Avoid talking, eating, or drinking while taking your reading.

Self-Check Tip #4: Choose Your Equipment Carefully and Maintain It

A wide range of equipment is available to check your blood pressure at home — some reliable, some less so. For the most dependable results, we recommend an upper-arm cuff.

In my professional opinion, Omron is an excellent choice for at-home use. But the best blood pressure monitor is the one that is most comfortable for you — the one you know you’ll use!

• Be sure the cuff fits securely, but not too tightly, around your arm. Some cuffs inflate automatically, and others you can pump up manually (which is helpful for the pain-sensitive).
• Manually record your reading — or be sure your machine has tracked it — for future reference when you visit your doctor.
• Occasionally, even top-of-the-line blood pressure machines need calibration. Bring your machine when you visit your doctor’s office. We’ll compare your results to those of a manual reading by a physician to ensure they align.
• Blood pressure cuffs have a long lifespan but degrade over time, particularly the rubber tubing. Consider replacing a cuff you’ve had for over 15 years.

Self-Check Tip #5: Switch up When You Self-Check

Your blood pressure varies depending on the time of day, your emotional or mental state, and your activity level. We’re looking for big trends, so it’s important to vary the timing of your self-checks. For example, always checking your pressure on Monday evenings after a stressful workday isn’t ideal.

Instead, alternate self-checks between mornings, afternoons, and evenings, and don’t check more than once on the same day. For example, in week one, do a single self-check on a Tuesday morning, the next week on a Wednesday evening, the third week on a Friday afternoon, and so on.

Constant variation helps us easily spot new developments or trends in your blood pressure.

Self-Check Tip #6: Touch Base With Your Doctor if Your Readings Shift or Become Unusual

Priority Physicians patients who check their blood pressure at home sometimes ask how often they should discuss their readings with our team. I urge patients not to unduly stress over their blood pressure but to reach out if results gathered at home are consistently higher (or lower) than their safe zone.

We may ask to evaluate those results, then conduct in-office testing and let you know if any action is needed.

The Bottom Line

Keeping your blood pressure within a safe, healthy range is important to you — and to us. Bring your blood pressure self-check results when you visit our office.

We’re ready to help you manage any consistent departure from your status quo. Reach out to schedule a visit.