How to measure your blood pressure at home, step by step

Home blood pressure is only as good as the technique behind it. Small, common mistakes — a cuff over a sleeve, feet dangling, talking mid-reading — can shift a result enough to change a treatment decision.

Choose the right device

• Pick an automatic upper-arm cuff. Wrist and finger devices are more sensitive to position.
• Check the fit: the bladder should wrap roughly 80% of your upper arm. A cuff that is too small reads high.
• Prefer a device that has been independently validated, and replace it if it is dropped or years old.

Before you measure

• No caffeine, smoking, or exercise for 30 minutes.
• Empty your bladder.
• Sit quietly for 5 minutes — no phone, no conversation.

Position

• Back supported, feet flat on the floor, legs uncrossed.
• Bare arm resting on a table so the cuff is at heart level.
• Stay silent during the reading.

How many readings

Take two readings one minute apart, morning and evening, and record every value. For a treatment decision, clinicians generally want about a week of readings — a small set collected carefully is more useful than scattered single numbers.

Reading the result

The top number is systolic (pressure when the heart beats), the bottom is diastolic (pressure between beats). The 2017 ACC/AHA guideline calls under 120/80 mm Hg normal, 120-129 with diastolic under 80 elevated, 130-139 or 80-89 stage 1 hypertension, and 140/90 or above stage 2. Your personal target may differ — ask your clinician for yours.