B.P. Monitor

Checking your blood pressure at home can be a way to monitor any hypertension and potential for heart disease.

To help control high blood pressure,also called hypertension, research has shown that monitoring blood pressure at home can be helpful in addition to regular monitoring in a healthcare provider's office.

Your doctor may recommend that you monitor your blood pressure at home if:

• You have been diagnosed with pre-hypertension (systolic --- top --- number between 120 and 139 mm Hg OR diastolic --- bottom --- number between 80 and 89 mm Hg)
• You have been diagnosed with hypertension (systolic 140 mm Hg or above OR diastolic 90 mm Hg or above)
• You have risk factor for high blood pressure

AHA Recommendation

The American Heart Association recommends home monitoring for all people with high blood pressure to help the healthcare provider determine whether treatments are working. Home monitoring is not a substitute for regular visits to your physician. If you have been prescribed medication to lower your blood pressure, don't stop taking your medication without consulting your doctor, even if your blood pressure readings are in the normal range during home monitoring.

Home monitoring may be especially useful for:

• Patients starting HBP treatment to determine its effectiveness
• Patients requiring closer monitoring than intermittent office visits provide, especially individuals with coronary heart disease, diabetes and/or kidney disease
• Pregnant woman since pre-eclampsia or pregnancy-induced hypertension can develop rapidly
• People who have some high readings at the doctor's office, to rule out white-coat hypertension and confirm true HBP
• Elderly patients, because the white-coat effect increases progressively with age
• People suspected of having masked hypertension

There are certain factors that can cause blood pressure to temporarily rise. For example, blood pressure normally rises as a result of:

Try to avoid as many of these factors as you can when taking your blood pressure. Also, try to measure your blood pressure at about the same time each day. Your doctor may want you to check your blood pressure several times during the day to see if it fluctuates.

• Find a quiet place to check your blood pressure. You will need to listen for your heartbeat.
• Make sure that you are comfortable and relaxed with a recently emptied bladder (a full bladder may affect your reading).
• Roll up the sleeve on your arm or remove any tight-sleeved clothing.
• Rest in a chair next to a table for 5 to 10 minutes. Your arm should rest comfortably at heart level. Sit up straight with your back against the chair, legs uncrossed. Rest your forearm on the table with the palm of your hand facing up.

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