How Long Should I Wair Before Taking My Blood Pressure Again
How to measure your blood pressure at dwelling house.
Welcome to our home monitoring resources hub.
Hither you can find resources for home monitoring, come across our uncomplicated steps to get an accurate reading and make the nigh out of abode monitoring.
Plus, read more about why domicile monitoring can be helpful and how to cull a monitor.
The first pace to managing your claret pressure is to Know Your Numbers! Watch our video to run across how to measure your blood pressure at home and use our tips and resources beneath to check your own blood force per unit area at home.
Home claret pressure monitoring resource
Download our Checking your blood pressure at home [PDF 113KB] poster and our Guidelines for home blood pressure testing [PDF 44KB] to impress and keep at home as a guide.
You tin also download our 'Measuring your blood pressure at home' leaflet at the end of the page. This A5 booklet provides clear instructions on how to measure claret pressure at abode. It covers how to choose an accurate monitor, how to employ the auto correctly at domicile and when to mensurate.
Before yous measure your blood pressure
- Avoid things that can raise your blood pressure level in the short term. Don't measure your blood pressure inside half an hour of eating, smoking, drinking caffeinated drinks such as coffee, or exercising. These can all raise your blood pressure temporarily. If y'all demand to employ the toilet, go before you measure out your blood pressure.
- Wear loose-plumbing equipment dress. Wear a short-sleeved t-shirt or something with sleeves you lot can push up easily, nothing tight. This is and then that yous tin fit the cuff effectually your arm.
- Residue for five minutes earlier you take your reading. Sit downwardly somewhere quiet, ideally at a desk or table. Take your back supported with your arm resting on a firm surface and your feet flat on the flooring. Stay in this position while you take your blood pressure.
- Make sure your arm is supported and at the same level as your heart. Position yourself so that your arm is resting on a surface and is at the aforementioned height as your heart. Proceed your arm and hand relaxed, non tensed.
- Make sure y'all are relaxed and comfy. If you are broken-hearted or uncomfortable, your blood pressure will rise temporarily.
How to measure your blood force per unit area at home using a abode monitor
- Follow the instructions that came with your monitor. Make sure y'all identify the gage effectually your arm as described in the instructions.
- Place the arm cuff just above your elbow. The cuff should exist about 2cm above your elbow to make sure it tin can observe the artery in your arm, just under the skin.
- Go along yet and quiet while you lot take your reading. Moving, chewing, talking and laughing tin affect your reading. Make sure you don't cross your legs, as this will raise your reading too.
- Take two or iii readings, each about one to two minutes autonomously. If your commencement reading is much higher than the side by side, ignore it and take an extra reading. Once you lot have 2 to three readings, yous can work out the average.
- Keep a record of your measurements. Record all your readings in the retentiveness of your monitor, on your reckoner or phone or on newspaper – whichever you prefer. Write them down exactly as they appear on screen.
Tips for measuring your blood pressure at domicile
- Measure your blood pressure in both artillery when y'all first start. They will give slightly dissimilar readings. From so on, apply the arm that gave you lot the higher reading each fourth dimension.
- E'er utilize the same arm. If possible, employ the arm that your doctor or nurse uses when they measure your blood pressure.
- Take readings at the aforementioned fourth dimension each day. For example, outset thing in the morning or terminal matter at night. Your blood force per unit area tin vary throughout the day and with unlike activities, and so this will mean yous're comparing like with like. It's good to take a routine – like measuring your blood pressure level earlier breakfast.
- Don't round your measurements upward or down. Tape your readings every bit they're displayed because information technology could affect the treatment you're prescribed.
- Don't worry if you get an unexpected high reading. A one-off high reading is ordinarily nothing to worry about, residual for v minutes and take the reading again. If it'southward still high, measure your blood pressure again another twenty-four hours. If information technology remains high for long, effectually two or three weeks, see your doctor or nurse.
- Don't worry most pocket-size changes. Information technology's normal for there to exist small changes in your blood pressure.
- Don't check your blood pressure too often. Some people find that they become worried or stressed well-nigh small changes in their readings if they take them too oft. Worrying tin also raise your blood pressure in the brusque term, making your reading higher than information technology should be.
- Don't stop taking your medications if your claret pressure level falls. Ever talk to your doctor earlier stopping your medications, even if your blood pressure has fallen to a healthy level according to your home monitor.
- Speak to your dr. or nurse if you lot're worried. If yous have doubts or concerns near your readings or abode monitoring, speak to your md or nurse, or call out healthcare team on 020 7882 6218. If you think you may be having a stroke or centre attack call 999 immediately.
How often should yous measure your blood pressure?
When and how often you take your readings will depend on your claret pressure. Speak to your doctor or nurse about what's suitable for you.
It can exist useful to monitor your blood force per unit area closely to begin with, then less frequently but at regular intervals.
When you lot get-go outset using your home monitor
When you first start using a home monitor, mensurate your claret pressure in the morning time and evening, every day for a week.
Take three readings in the morning, 1 to two minutes autonomously, and the same again in the evening, and record all the readings. Take an average of the readings, merely discard the start 1 if it's much college than the others. To take an average simply add the ii readings together and divide by two. Carve up by three if you apply all three readings.
Ignore the beginning twenty-four hours's readings birthday, considering they might not be accurate as you lot're non familiar with your monitor yet.
At the end of the week you will take a useful moving-picture show of what your blood pressure is normally similar.
Your doctor might ask you to keep a tape similar this when they first think you might have high blood pressure level and would like to know more than earlier making a diagnosis.
After the beginning week
Once you have a tape of your claret pressure over a calendar week, you can take readings less oftentimes – once every one to ii weeks perhaps. Your doctor or nurse can talk to you lot nigh this, there'southward no need to measure it too often.
If your blood pressure has been stable for a long time, you might but need to measure it once every four to vi months. Your medico or nurse volition exist able to advise you.
There might be times when y'all want to mensurate your blood pressure more ofttimes. For example, if y'all are given a new medicine or a higher dose of medicine, to see if the alter is having an effect. It's also helpful to record your numbers for iv to 7 days earlier a clinic visit and so you can show your physician.
Keeping a record
Keeping a tape will help you and your physician to see how your blood pressure is responding to treatments and lifestyle changes, and if you lot need a change in your handling. Have your record along with yous to your appointments.
You can tape your readings in the memory of your monitor, on your estimator or phone or on paper – whichever you adopt. If you share your monitor with someone else keep a record elsewhere and then that your readings don't get confused.
It's helpful to continue a diary of your blood pressure readings. Write down all your readings, even the ones yous don't include in the boilerplate. Ideally write down the time and appointment, and the fourth dimension you took your claret force per unit area medications. Information technology's likewise helpful to notation anything that might accept affected your blood pressure, for instance changes in treatment, episodes of illness, symptoms you have at the time such equally headaches or feeling dizzy.
You can likewise download our handy Eastward-record card [PDF 38KB] below for you to record your claret force per unit area numbers on. Use our blood pressure chart to run into what your numbers mean, and follow our guidelines for dwelling blood pressure testing to see what action you should have.
Working with your doctor or nurse
You won't usually make a decision most treatment based solely on the readings you have taken at home. But they may find information technology useful to know what you're blood pressure is similar when yous're away from the clinic.
Talk to your doctor or nurse before you lot start to measure your blood pressure at home. They advise you on when to measure out your blood pressure level and how often, and this tin can aid you lot both to exist clear about what you are doing and why.
Bring your records with y'all to your appointments so they tin use it to review your treatment.
Brand certain your monitor is suitable and you know how to use it
It is a skillful idea to bring your monitor to the appointment so that your doctor or nurse can check that information technology is validated and accurate, that it fits properly, and that y'all know how to use information technology. They can show you if you're not certain.
Read more than
Acquire more about your claret pressure, what claret pressure readings mean, and how to lower your blood force per unit area.
For further information on dwelling house monitoring, download our booklet, Measuring your BP at domicile [PDF 194KB].
Source: https://www.bloodpressureuk.org/your-blood-pressure/how-to-lower-your-blood-pressure/monitoring-your-blood-pressure-at-home/how-to-measure-your-blood-pressure-at-home/
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