Measuring blood pressure at home, properly
A home monitor is one of the best-value health tools you can own — but only if the number it gives you is honest.
Sit still first
Five quiet minutes, both feet on the floor, back supported, arm resting at heart height. No phone, no telly, no chat. A reading taken straight after rushing in the door tells you about the rush, not your blood pressure.
Measure twice, a minute apart
Take two readings sixty seconds apart, morning and evening for a week, and average them. One high number on a stressful Tuesday isn't a diagnosis — a pattern is.
Bring the log in
Jot the numbers down (or let the cuff's app do it) and show us or your GP. A week of real-world readings is far more useful than a single check on a clinic chair.