Blood Pressure Monitoring At Home 

Tests and Diagnosis for Hypertension or High Blood Pressure

Tests For Hypertension

The test for hypertension is essentially very simple. If your blood pressure reading is too high – then you have high blood pressure.  However you could be having an off day or there may be other things affecting you so that your blood pressure is high on that particular day. So one test is not enough to make a confirmed diagnosis.

If there is any question that your blood pressure maybe problematic, you should monitor it regularly. Monitoring your blood pressure at home and at various times throughout the day can be a key element to effective treatment. Why? Because blood pressure is not stable. It fluctuates regularly in response to various things. Foods you eat, what you drink, how you feel, medications, what you're doing and many other factors can cause blood pressure readings to change, sometimes dramatically.

If you have a high blood pressure reading your doctor will probably ask you to relax for a few minutes then test again.  If your blood pressure is still high they will ask you to come back another day.

Your doctor will also ask about other medications you may be taking (some over the counter medicines – like cold remedies or ibuprofen – can raise your blood pressure temporarily). Your doctor will also ask about various lifestyle factors – you may be having an unusually stressful day!

Additional Tests

If it is confirmed that you have high blood pressure for more than one or two days then your doctor will want to ask additional questions, such as whether you have a family history of high blood pressure. They might also want to do additional tests to see if there is an underlying cause. You will probably have a urine test and a blood test, you may also get an ECG (Electrocardiogram)

Here is the usual range of blood pressure diagnosis:

What treatment options you are offered will depend on more than just your blood pressure readings.  Most people are not recommended drugs unless their blood pressure is consistently above 140/90 and lifestyle adjustments have not worked.  However for diabetes this is usually lowered to 130/85. But if your blood pressure is significantly higher then you may be asked to start drugs immediately.

Doctors like to catch people who have pre-hypertension so that they can recommend lifestyle changes and prevent people from developing full blown hypertension.  Taking drugs to treat hypertension will usually result in nasty side effects so your aim should be to make sure that you never need them.

However, if you are prescribed drugs for high blood pressure it is important to take them – and keep taking them. If your doctor prescribes drugs then they feel that you are in danger of serious side effects.

If you stop taking the drugs suddenly you may suffer “rebound hypertension” that is where your blood pressure rises, often to higher levels than you had before starting the drugs. You can make lifestyle changes and take herbal supplements to naturally lower your blood pressure, and when your doctor sees your blood pressure going down then they can supervise you to come off the drugs.

Your blood pressure may read low in the doctor's office and high at home, or the reverse may occur, creating "white-coat hypertension" whereby your blood pressure is only elevated when taken by a physician. The only way to be certain about your blood pressure is to monitor it numerous times over the course of a day for a number of days.

If you are taking high blood pressure medication, your doctor will want to know if it's getting the job done. There are many home monitors you can use to reliably check pressure yourself under your physician's supervision. Work with your doctor to find the monitor that works best for you.

There are many home blood pressure monitors from which to choose, and they are all easy and convenient to use. It's important to select a monitor with a cuff that fits your upper arm correctly. Although blood pressure monitors come with instructions, you may want to have your doctor show you how to use it before trying it yourself.

Wrist monitors are not recommended because the wrist artery does not provide as reliable a reading as the cuff monitor. For that reason, the American Heart Association suggests an upper arm monitor with an automatic cuff to measure pressure in the brachial artery in the upper arm.

Take your blood pressure readings at the same time each day and keep track of the results. Some monitors will keep a record for you. Take 2-3 readings one minute apart each time you measure. Don't smoke, drink caffeinated beverages or exercise for thirty minutes prior to taking your pressure.

To ensure accurate readings, sit on a straight-back chair (like a dining chair), keep your feet flat on the floor, and rest your arm on a flat surface (like a table) so your upper arm will be level with your heart.

In addition to monitoring the effectiveness of high blood pressure medications, monitoring your blood pressure at home is a good idea for the elderly and for anyone with kidney disease, heart disease and diabetes, especially if you don't often visit a health care provider for regular checks. Expecting moms should monitor blood pressure to guard against pregnancy-induced high blood pressure, which can develop quickly and unexpectedly.

If you receive a few high blood pressure readings in your doctor's office, you'll want to monitor your blood pressure at home before starting medication. And if your doctor suspects masked hypertension, where your office visit readings are low but you have other symptoms suggestive of high blood pressure, your physician may recommend home monitoring.