The solution is simple. If you want to know if you have hypertension, you should take your blood pressure regularly. And you should take it at times when you’re not nervous.
It’s really easy to take your blood pressure yourself. In fact, I recommend that everyone should have a blood pressure monitor at home, just like everybody has a thermometer.
After you buy the monitor, take it to your doctor’s office and have them validate that it is working well, and that the size of the cuff is appropriate for your arm. Once you know it’s accurate, follow these steps:
(1) Before taking your measurement, be sure that you are seated quietly for at least five minutes with your feet on the floor and your arm supported at the level of your heart.
(2) Avoid caffeine, exercise, and smoking for at least 30 minutes before you
measure.
(3) Take the first measurement. Then wait 15 seconds and take a second measurement. If they are essentially the same, record that reading. If they are different, measure your pressure a third time. Record the lowest of the three readings as your blood pressure. Do this in the morning before breakfast, and again in the evening before supper.
(4) Repeat these steps for about two weeks and then average them up to determine your average blood pressure. Don’t include any occasional spikes in the readings, as these will throw off the average unnecessarily.
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