Getting An Accurate Blood Pressure At Home

It's a common scenario, you go to see your doctor only to find your blood pressure is high. But is that the best way to measure you blood pressure?

Turns out, you will get a better idea of what your real blood pressure is by taking it at home instead of just at your doctor's office.

High blood pressure is called a silent killer. That's because it takes its toll over time, damaging your blood vessels, kidneys and heart along with other organs. You don't feel the effects of having high blood pressure until years later once the damage is done. So keeping it controlled all your life, even when you don't think you need to is very important to your overall health.

The problem is that the reading you get at your doctor's office isn't always the most accurate. That's because most of us suffer from what's known as "white coat hypertension," meaning our blood pressure at that time is higher than normal because we are sick or hurt and maybe a little anxious about being in a doctor's office.

Taking your blood pressure at home is one way to get a more accurate reading. As a matter of fact, a new study out of the journal "Archives of Internal Medicine" found that using a portable home monitor over a 24 hour period to measure blood pressure better predicted whether someone would develop kidney failure or even death.

The simplest way for you to take your own blood pressure is to buy and inexpensive monitor. Take your blood pressure twice a day, once in the morning and once again at night. Record these numbers over at least a 5 day period. Take these numbers with your to your next doctor's appointment and that will give you and your doctor a better idea of what your true blood pressure numbers really are.