Why measure at home
A single clinic reading tells us little. Many people are tense at the doctor, and pressure changes through the day. A week of home readings shows your real pattern and helps your doctor decide calmly.
Choose a good monitor
Pick an upper-arm monitor that has been validated, with a cuff that fits your arm. Wrist monitors are easy to use wrongly. Bring your monitor to clinic and we will check it against ours for free.
How to sit
Sit with your back supported and feet flat, arm resting on a table at heart level, cuff on bare skin. Rest for five quiet minutes. No coffee or cigarettes for half an hour before.
One reading is a snapshot. A week of readings is the film, and that is what helps us decide.
When to measure
Morning before breakfast and medicines, and evening before dinner. Take two readings a minute apart and write both down, for seven days before a clinic visit.
What the numbers mean
Below 120 over 80 is the usual healthy range. Readings that keep sitting at 140 over 90 or above are worth discussing soon. A reading of 180 over 120 or more needs care the same day, and with chest pain or weakness, call 112.
Published October 2026. General information, not personal medical advice. Example article for this demo.