Taking Your Own Blood Pressure

Home monitors—who needs them and what to buy

Getting an accurate reading

Edwin Morales of Allentown shows how to position yourself and your blood pressure cuff before you hit the “start” button.

• Sit comfortably with your legs uncrossed.
• Wrap the cuff snugly around your bare arm.
• Place arm, palm upward, on a table about the height
  of your heart.

It fluctuates throughout the day and offers no warning when it nears dangerous levels. “It” is your blood pressure—and one reading in the doctor’s office may not provide enough information about your overall health.

That’s why Joseph Ciecko, D.O., suggests having a home blood pressure monitor. “If you have hypertension (high blood pressure), pregnancy-related hypertension, diabetes, heart disease or kidney disease, you definitely need one,” says the Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network family physician.

Logging your blood pressure tells your doctor when and how much it changes. “That can help determine how well your medication is working,” Ciecko says. You also can track how stress and other factors affect your blood pressure.

For the greatest accuracy, buy an automatic monitor with an arm cuff, not one that takes blood pressure at the wrist or finger, says registered pharmacist Dave Drozdowski of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network. Before shopping, measure your arm to ensure the cuff will fit properly. The standard cuff fits 9- to 13-inch biceps; some models let you trade it in for a larger or smaller size.

A reliable monitor with digital display costs about $80. Higher-priced models print and save results, but you can save money by keeping a written record yourself. Once your purchase is made, have your doctor check it for accuracy.

What about blood pressure machines in the pharmacy or mall? They’re FDA-approved and can be a good tool for occasional use, Drozdowski says. “They don’t adjust for your weight the way a personal monitor can, but as long as the cuff fits snugly you’ll get a fairly accurate reading.”

Remember, everyone’s blood pressure is different. If yours is normally low, what’s safe for most people (below 120/80) may not be safe for you. “If readings are consistently high,” Ciecko says, “call your doctor.”

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