Take it first in the morning before eating or taking any medications. Take it again in the evening. Each time you measure, take two or three readings to make sure your results are the same. Your health care provider might recommend taking your blood pressure at the same times each day.
Don't eat or drink anything 30 minutes before you take your blood pressure. Empty your bladder before your reading. Sit in a comfortable chair with your back supported for at least 5 minutes before your reading.
Normal blood pressure is less than 120/80 mm Hg .
A person's blood pressure tends to dip slightly after eating, but certain foods, such as salt and saturated fats, can cause blood pressure to rise after a meal. In some people, this rise in blood pressure after eating exceeds the normal range. The medical name for high blood pressure is hypertension.
Your blood pressure should be checked in the morning, about an hour after you wake up, and in the evening, about an hour before you go to sleep, using the same arm each time. Taking 3 consecutive measurements (about 1 minute apart) will provide a more accurate understanding of your "true" blood pressure.
Eating (Or Not Eating)
If you are taking your blood pressure at home, your doctor will usually recommend that you take your blood pressure test in the morning before eating or wait thirty minutes after a meal. Not eating enough or fasting can also cause an inaccurate reading.
A rise in blood pressure overnight to early morning has been linked to an increased risk of heart disease. An irregular blood pressure pattern could also mean that you have: Poorly controlled high blood pressure. Obstructive sleep apnea.
Your blood pressure drops during the night and is 10% to 20% lower while you're asleep. It starts to rise a few hours before you wake up and is the highest during the middle of the day. By late afternoon and evening, it starts to fall again. Experts recommend not to take your blood pressure immediately after waking up.
Walking lowers systolic blood pressure by 4.11 mm Hg (95% CI, 3.01 to 5.22 mm Hg). It lowers diastolic blood pressure by 1.79 mm Hg (95% CI, 1.07 to 2.51 mm Hg) and resting heart rate by 2.76 beats per minute (bpm; 95% CI, 0.95 to 4.57 bpm).
How often should you check? At first, take your blood pressure twice a day for a week. The best times are early in the morning (before you have taken any blood pressure medications) and again in the evening. After you've done this for a week, once or twice a month—or whatever your doctor recommends—is fine.
“I advise people diagnosed with hypertension to check their blood pressure twice per day until they have it under control,” she says. “After that, it's fine to check it one to two times per week.” If your blood pressure is abnormally high or low when you're checking it at home, don't panic.
Check it twice
It's ideal to measure your blood pressure twice a day for two weeks leading up to a doctor's appointment, or following a change in medication. At each sitting, measure your blood pressure three times, but discard the first reading as it tends to be inaccurate.
The beneficial effects of egg consumption on blood pressure in humans may be attributed to the presence of nutrients with antioxidant and antihypertensive effects in whole eggs [7•, 39]. For example, beneficial effects of egg white derived peptides on blood pressure have been shown in animal studies.
Insomnia is linked to high blood pressure and heart disease. Over time, poor sleep can also lead to unhealthy habits that can hurt your heart, including higher stress levels, less motivation to be physically active, and unhealthy food choices.
Blood pressure machines vary, but they're all a type of measuring device, which often have an arm cuff attached to it. The cuff is usually wrapped around your upper arm and filled with air until it feels tight. This can feel uncomfortable but it only lasts a few seconds.
The device should measure blood pressure on the upper arm, which produce a more reliable result than those that measure from the wrist.