How to check your blood pressure

Checking your blood pressure with your blood pressure monitor is easy to do. It’s best to take each reading at the same time of day. Wait at least 30 minutes after smoking, eating, drinking caffeinated beverages, or exercising. Rest for 5 minutes by sitting in a chair before taking your reading.

Before you start, have your blood pressure cuff, monitor, and cell phone ready next to you with the app open. Sit comfortably at a table with both feet on the floor.

Turn the monitor on. Place the cuff on your bare arm. If you need to, roll up your sleeve. Put your arm out in front of you on the table, palm up. Your upper arm should be at the level of your heart (resting on a table is easiest). Slide the blood pressure cuff onto that arm and up to just above your elbow. Make sure the cuff is not loose.

• Line up the tube connecting the cuff to the monitor with the center of the inner part of your elbow.
• Start the meter. The cuff will tighten and then loosen. The numbers on the meter will change.
• When the numbers stop changing, your blood pressure reading will appear. You will see two numbers. The top number is your systolic blood pressure; the bottom number is your diastolic blood pressure.
• If your monitor is paired with your cell phone, your results should appear in the app within seconds.
• When you’re done, remove the cuff from your arm and turn off the meter.
• After your baseline blood pressure reading is established, (5 readings in 5 days), you'll receive a personal blood pressure report that you can share with your doctor. As you continue to monitor, you'll receive helpful tips to help you continue to manage your blood pressure.