The most precise blood pressure readings are those taken by your trained healthcare provider. You can, however, measure your blood pressure yourself at home. Your blood pressure readings taken with approved devices can be a useful addition to blood pressure readings taken by your healthcare provider. These blood pressure readings require the use of the proper cuff size. The most common error in measuring your own blood pressure is due to "mis-cuffing" – using a cuff that is the wrong size.
Caffeine and nicotine can increase your blood pressure, so you should avoid coffee, cola or tea, and do not smoke for at least 30 minutes before a blood pressure measurement.
Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is a technique using appropriate portable devices that read and record the blood pressure automatically at predetermined regular time intervals. Patients carry an ambulatory blood pressure monitor on their body for a 24-hour period. This allows automatic and reliable recording of blood pressure levels during the day and night and causes only minor discomfort.
If your doctor requests ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, this does not imply that you have a special risk. The technique can assist the doctor in making diagnostic and treatment decisions in certain cases. It also helps to reduce the risk of misdiagnosing and overtreating patients.
Ask your doctor about your individual situation. Several experts recommend blood pressure target values for adults of less than 140/90mmHg for non-diabetics and less than 130/80mmHg for patients with diabetes.
Based on approved scientific knowledge, a risk calculator allows you to estimate the effect of individual factors on your overall risk for cardiovascular disease.
To check your personal risk level, please try our Adalat® Risk Calculator.
