If you’re not tested using "gold standard" blood pressure procedures, your systolic blood pressure is probably off by at least five points and your diastolic blood pressure by two points. That’s enough to change the prescribed medical treatments of 45% of patients, and make it seem like you have high blood pressure (hypertension).
Here are seven tips to ensure you get an accurate blood pressure reading.
- Don’t get "cuffed" too fast. Wait five minutes after you come into the exam room to erase the effects of previous activity. Walking fast boosts your reading by 5 to 14 points and driving in traffic raises it 9 to 14 points. Don’t be shy about resting before your blood pressure test.
- Keep quiet. Talking or listening to the practitioner during your check can raise both blood pressure numbers by 10 points. We know there is little time to spend talking with the doc, but do it after the test!
- Be sure your body is well-supported. An "off" position -- sitting to one side, for example -- can increase your blood pressure. Sit with your back supported, feet flat on the floor and legs uncrossed. The cuff should be at heart level. This can prevent a 2- to 11-point increase in blood pressure readings.
- Get the right size blood pressure cuff. If you’re extra-large or petite, match the cuff to your arm size. One that’s too tiny can raise your numbers by 10 points. One that’s too big makes your reading lower than reality.
- Ask for a blood pressure check on each arm. Checking right and left arms can catch problems you might miss if you only measure your "low pressure" side, and differences between arms of 15 points or more can also be an early-warning sign of a clogged aorta or blockage in another major blood vessel.
- Be smart about white-coat hypertension. The blood pressure of one in four adults spikes the minute a doctor, nurse or physician’s assistant appears. This spike may signal how you normally live. At your appointment, ask to sit quietly, solo, in an exam room for 30 minutes while wearing a monitor that automatically checks your pressure every five minutes.
- Skip the coffee break, but take a bathroom break. Sipping tea, coffee, cola or other caffeinated drinks within 30 minutes raises blood pressure. A full bladder’s not just uncomfortable, it can boost your blood pressure by 20 points.