About Sistola › Guides
How to check your blood pressure at home properly
A home monitor is only as good as the way you use it. The same person, measured badly, can read ten or more points higher. These are the things that change the number, in the order they matter.
Before you press the button
- Five minutes sitting quietly. No coffee, no tobacco and no exercise in the half hour before. Empty your bladder: a full one pushes the reading up.
- Do not talk during the measurement, and do not measure over a sleeve.
Your position
Back supported in a chair, feet flat on the floor, legs uncrossed. Arm resting on a table so the cuff is at the height of your heart. An arm hanging down or held up changes the result.
The cuff
It has to fit your arm: a cuff that is too small reads high. Wrist monitors are more sensitive to position. Check what your monitor’s instructions say about size.
Two readings, not one
Measure, wait about a minute, measure again. If the two are far apart, take a third. Write them all down; the second is usually the steadier one.
Same arm, always
The two arms often differ. Use the one your doctor told you to use, or the one that reads higher, and keep to it so your readings can be compared over time.
Questions
Which arm should I use?
The same one every time. If nobody told you which, use the one that gives the higher reading and note it down.
My monitor gives me a different number every time. Is it broken?
Blood pressure moves all day; some difference is normal. Take your monitor to your next appointment and have it checked against the one at the clinic.
Does the app measure my blood pressure?
No. Sistola is a log: you write down the numbers your own monitor shows. It is not a medical device and it does not diagnose.
Sistola is a record-keeping app. It is not a medical device, it does not measure blood pressure and it does not diagnose or treat any condition. Always consult your doctor.