Get An Accurate Blood Pressure Reading

Opt for Home Blood Pressure Monitoring

If your pressure is unusually high in your doctor's office, track your blood pressure more closely at home.

The American Heart Association's recommendations for home monitoring are:
-Purchase monitors with cuffs that fit on the upper arm (either manual or automatic inflation). Wrist monitors are not recommended. Be sure to place the cuff 1/2 inch above the crease of your elbow.

-Take two or three readings at a time, one minute apart, while resting in a seated position. Your arm should be supported, with the upper arm at heart level, and your feet on the floor, with back supported and legs uncrossed.

You may also want to ask your doctor to order ambulatory home monitoring for 24 hours. If your doctor approves, you'll go home wearing a device that measures your blood pressure approximately every 20 minutes during the day and every 30-45 minutes at night.