When Should You Measure Your Blood Pressure?

Hypertension often goes unnoticed but is a constant threat. It is only detected through routine blood pressure measurements. Once hypertension is discovered, it becomes even more important to keep track of the values through regular measurements. But how often is this sensible, and when are the right times for it?

Hypertension can trigger strokes, heart attacks, as well as kidney and eye damage. However, the high pressure can be reduced. Measures include losing weight, increasing physical activity, eating low-salt foods, and strictly reducing or even avoiding alcohol and smoking. If necessary, medications can lower blood pressure. The success of these measures can only be monitored by measuring blood pressure.

According to the guidelines of the German Hypertension League and the European Society of Hypertension (ESH) as well as the European Society of Cardiology (ESC), you should measure your blood pressure in the morning and evening. We recommend sitting on the edge of the bed for 5 minutes right after waking up and then measuring your blood pressure. In the evening, please measure immediately before going to bed. Again, sit on the edge of the bed for 5 minutes and then measure your blood pressure before lying down. Perform two measurements spaced 1 to 2 minutes apart and please record both measurements.

In addition to the described measurement schedule according to the guidelines, it is of course also possible that your doctor may consider additional measurements at other times necessary. Please follow the guidelines agreed upon with your doctor in this case.

Regular blood pressure monitoring at home and additionally at the doctor's office serves to manage hypertension therapy. This helps minimize risks, as extreme fluctuations are detected in time. Patients can relate their well-being to their blood pressure through home measurements. Persistently high blood pressure is often unnoticed in daily life, but spikes in blood pressure can cause symptoms such as headaches, fatigue, nausea, and even nosebleeds. Another advantage of regular blood pressure measurement is that patients can recognize the differences between their own measurements and those taken in the doctor's office. Initial measurement errors during self-measurement are completely normal. The doctor can provide advice on this. However, they are not the only cause of discrepancies between the doctor's office and home. There are also patients with what is known as White Coat Hypertension. These individuals only show elevated blood pressure values at the doctor's office. The opposite of this are people with masked hypertension. Such individuals have normal blood pressure values at the doctor's office - but these are elevated at home. If this is suspected, an automatic measurement over 24 hours with a portable blood pressure monitor is usually performed. The device records blood pressure values at intervals of 15 to 30 minutes - even at night.

Outpatient long-term blood pressure monitoring - as described with a portable device and continuously - is essential for the accurate diagnosis of elevated blood pressure values. The high number of measurements allows for reliable conclusions for the doctor. In this way, they can determine the true blood pressure level of the patient. Blood pressure fluctuations and also blood pressure variability can only be captured this way. Another important piece of information concerns the nocturnal blood pressure drop, which should normally occur. Additionally, long-term measurements serve for monitoring. Since medications are often prescribed after hypertension is diagnosed, long-term monitoring helps verify their effectiveness. If necessary, a different medication and/or further measures will be implemented. In terms of medication, it is again important that phases with very low blood pressure are also recorded and prevented. Because this can also be dangerous due to the risk of falls during fainting spells. Devices for outpatient long-term monitoring are usually provided by doctors.

Actually, blood pressure can be measured well with the correct use of the device, but there are some rules. It goes without saying that the measurement must be taken before the intake of blood pressure-lowering medications. A resting period of about five minutes should be observed before the measurement. The measurement point must be at heart level. The arm with the higher blood pressure value should always be used. The cuff must not be too small. Otherwise, it will show too low systolic (upper) and too high diastolic (lower) values. It should cover two-thirds of the upper arm and also be sufficient to encompass a very muscular upper arm. The description of a measuring device always includes the upper arm or wrist circumference for which the cuff is suitable. Please measure this if necessary.

The clothing of the arm with a thin shirt does not play a role in the measurement. However, please pay attention to the instructions in the manual of your measuring device. Thicker clothing should be removed. Rolling up the sleeve is only permissible with very loose clothing, as the cuff of tighter sleeves can impede blood flow and thus distort the measurement. According to guidelines, measurements should be taken twice at intervals of one to two minutes.

We hope you found the article on the topic helpful. Correct measurement is very important for good blood pressure management. Our app BloodPressureDB helps with that. Concrete explanations guide you through a guideline-compliant measurement. The app also reminds you if you wish. These features are also fully available in the free version. Get the free app now.

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