How to take blood pressure at home, morning and evening

Before you measure

For 30 minutes before a reading, skip coffee and other caffeine, smoking and exercise, and empty your bladder. Use a cuff that fits your upper arm; a cuff that is too small can read too high. A validated upper-arm monitor is the best choice for home use.

Seven steps for an accurate reading

• Sit in a chair with your back supported and both feet flat on the floor. Don't cross your legs.
• Rest quietly for 5 minutes. Don't talk during the reading.
• Wrap the cuff on your bare upper arm, just above the elbow — not over clothing.
• Rest your arm on a table so the cuff is at heart level.
• Take two readings (three if you can), one minute apart.
• In the morning, measure within an hour of waking, after using the bathroom and before medication and breakfast. In the evening, measure before bed.
• Record every reading, not just the best one, and use the same arm each time.

How long should you keep measuring?

After starting or changing medication, or before an appointment, doctors often ask for about a week of morning and evening readings so they can look at the average. An average over several days says more than one high reading. Follow your doctor's instructions on how often to measure.

Logging it with Cuffday

Cuffday shows morning and evening cards on the home screen, so you can see whether today's readings are done, and reminds you at the times you choose. Type systolic, diastolic and pulse on a big keypad, and mark left or right arm, sitting or standing, and whether you took your medication with one tap. 7-, 30- and 90-day averages and morning and evening averages are calculated as numbers. Cuffday does not measure blood pressure; it records readings from your monitor.

This guide is general information, not a diagnosis or treatment plan. Talk to your doctor about your blood pressure goals and medication.