How to Take Your Blood Pressure at Home and Log It (Physician's Step-by-Step)

Cómo tomarse la presión arterial en casa y anotarla

Written by a family medicine physician & certified medical interpreter · Ambos Health

Home blood pressure readings are some of the most useful numbers a patient can bring me, as long as they're taken the right way. A single reading in clinic can run high from rushing in, a full bladder or simply being nervous. A week of careful home readings shows what your pressure really does in daily life. Small mistakes in technique, though, can shift a reading enough to change a treatment decision. Here's the method I teach, consistent with American Heart Association (AHA) guidance.

Start with the right equipment

• An automatic, upper-arm cuff. Wrist and finger monitors are generally less reliable. Look for a device that has been clinically validated; the AHA and American Medical Association support a list of validated devices at validatebp.org.
• The correct cuff size. This matters more than most people think. A cuff that's too small tends to read falsely high; too large can read low. Measure around the middle of your upper arm and compare it with the range printed on the cuff. Many monitors sell larger or smaller cuffs separately.
• Check it against the office. Bring your monitor to a visit once so your clinician can compare it with theirs.

Before you measure: the 30-minute rule

For 30 minutes before a reading, avoid caffeine, exercise and smoking or vaping. Empty your bladder first. Then sit quietly for 5 minutes with no phone, TV or conversation.

How to sit and where the cuff goes

1. Sit in a chair with your back supported, not on a sofa you sink into or on the edge of a bed.
2. Feet flat on the floor, legs uncrossed.
3. Arm supported on a table at heart level, palm up and relaxed. An arm that hangs down or that you hold up yourself can change the number.
4. Cuff on bare skin, about an inch above the bend of the elbow, snug but with room for one finger. Don't roll a tight sleeve up into a tourniquet; take the arm out of the sleeve instead.
5. Don't talk or move while the cuff inflates and deflates.

How many readings, and when

Take 2 readings, about 1 minute apart, and write down both. Measure in the morning (before breakfast and before taking blood-pressure medicines, unless your clinician says otherwise) and again in the evening. Try to use the same arm and roughly the same times each day. When starting home monitoring or after a medicine change, clinicians often ask for readings over about a week before a visit; follow the schedule your own clinician gives you.

How to log it so it's useful

Write down every reading, not just the good ones. A log your clinician can read in 30 seconds has these columns:

Many monitors store readings in memory, but a paper log captures context, like a missed dose, pain, or a stressful morning, that memory doesn't. Bring the log (or the monitor) to every visit, along with your medication list.

When to call your doctor, and when to call 911

Your clinician should give you personal target numbers. As general guidance from the AHA:

• A reading above 180/120: wait one minute and measure again. If it's still that high and you have no symptoms, contact your doctor right away.
• Above 180/120 with symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, back pain, numbness or weakness, change in vision, or difficulty speaking: call 911. Don't wait to see whether it comes down, and don't drive yourself.
• Call your doctor's office if readings are consistently above the goal you were given, if they are unusually low or you feel dizzy or faint when standing, or if readings change a lot after a new medicine.

Not sure whether something needs the ER, urgent care or a phone call? See ER vs. urgent care vs. your doctor.

Frequently asked questions

What is the correct way to take blood pressure at home?

Avoid caffeine, exercise and smoking for 30 minutes, empty your bladder, and rest seated for 5 minutes. Sit with your back supported, feet flat, legs uncrossed, and your arm supported at heart level with a correctly sized cuff on bare skin. Take 2 readings about 1 minute apart and record both.

What time of day should I check my blood pressure?

Generally twice a day: in the morning before breakfast and before blood-pressure medicines (unless told otherwise), and again in the evening, at about the same times each day. Follow the schedule your clinician gives you.

When is high blood pressure an emergency?

According to the American Heart Association, a reading above 180/120 with symptoms such as chest pain, shortness of breath, back pain, numbness or weakness, vision change or trouble speaking needs a 911 call. If it's above 180/120 on repeat with no symptoms, contact your doctor right away.

¿Cuántas veces debo tomarme la presión?

Normalmente dos lecturas, con un minuto de diferencia, por la mañana y por la noche. Anote todas las lecturas y lleve el registro a su cita.

General education, not medical advice. Your own clinician's advice comes first. In an emergency, call 911.