How to Test Your Blood Pressure at Home

By Dr. Cindy Ripsin

Many people believe the best way to know whether you have high blood pressure (called hypertension) is to have your blood pressure measured in your doctor’s office. Did you know that the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology now encourage everyone with any suspicion of having hypertension to measure their blood pressure at home and share those values with their doctor? We’ve learned that blood pressure measured correctly at home is more accurate than when taken in a clinic setting.  

What is Blood Pressure? 

The top number, called the systolic blood pressure, measures the pressure within the heart and blood vessels when pumping blood out of the heart. Ideally, the systolic blood pressure should be 120 or less at rest.  

The bottom number, called the diastolic blood pressure, measures the pressure against the heart as the heart is receiving blood from the lungs and the rest of the body.  Ideally, the diastolic blood pressure should be 80 or less at rest.  

We know that exercise raises blood pressure, and this is normal and natural. Nervousness, anxiety, anger, and fear can also increase blood pressure. When the blood pressure is taken in the doctor’s office after just walking from the parking lot or down the hall to the exam room, and a patient might also be feeling a little anxious, the blood pressure can be falsely elevated.   

Tips for Taking Accurate Blood Pressure Readings at Home 

• Buy a blood pressure kit that is easy for you to use. Some newer models make it much easier to put the cuff on properly, even if no one is helping you.  

• Buy a blood pressure cuff that fits your upper arm well.  

• Avoid caffeine and nicotine at least thirty minutes before measuring your blood pressure. 

• Sit quietly in a chair for at least five minutes before taking the first measurement with your legs uncrossed and your feet flat on the floor.

• Support your arm on a table at about the height of your heart and completely relax your arm and hand as the cuff is inflating and deflating.

• Once you have taken the first reading, remove the cuff, raise your arm over your head briefly before setting your arm back on the table, put the cuff in place again, and recheck the pressure. 

• Write down all the numbers along with the date the time of day and bring the information to your next doctor’s appointment. 

Tip for People with Sensitivities 

Squeezing of the blood pressure cuff is a little uncomfortable for all of us but can be very disturbing for people with special sensitivities to pressure and touch. This discomfort can falsely elevate blood pressure.  

• Practice with your home blood pressure cuff by inflating the cuff only part way and then deflating it.   

• If you have an automatic cuff, which most are nowadays, let the cuff partly inflate and then hit the OFF button. 

• Do this several times each day, and each time, practice breathing out slowly as the cuff inflates. 

• Inflate the cuff a little more each day to get more used to the stronger squeezes, always focusing on breathing out slowly as the cuff squeezes.  

Other Tips 

Unless your doctor specifically tells you to do so, do not check your blood pressure when:

• You are angry.

• You are anxious or fearful.

• You just finished exercising.

• You just came in from the heat or the cold. Allow your body to get used to the indoor temperature first.

Dr. Cindy Ripsin is a board-certified family physician with over twenty years’ experience caring for patients of all ages. She is the medical director for Boundless Health.