A home reading is only useful if it is taken the same careful way every time. The routine below follows the home-measurement sheet published by the American Medical Association (AMA). If your doctor has given you different instructions, follow your doctor.
Before you measure
- For 30 minutes before, do not eat, smoke or exercise, and avoid caffeine — coffee, and the teas and soft drinks that contain it.
- Use the toilet first if you need to, so your bladder is empty.
- Find a quiet place where you will not be disturbed.
- In the morning, measure before you take your medicines.
How to sit
- Sit on a chair that supports your back, next to a table.
- Keep both feet flat on the floor. Do not cross your legs.
- Rest your arm on the table at the level of the middle of your chest (heart level), palm facing up.
- Put the cuff on your upper arm, just above the elbow, on bare skin — not over a sleeve.
Taking the reading
- Sit quietly for 5 minutes before you press start. Keep your arm and body relaxed.
- Do not talk, and keep the TV and your phone away while you measure.
- Take 2 readings, 1 minute apart.
- Write down every reading — including the ones you do not like.
How often
The AMA sheet suggests doing this twice a day — once in the morning and once at night — for 7 days, and then sharing the readings with your doctor. Your doctor may ask for a different schedule; theirs is the one to follow.
A few practical points
- Wrist monitors. If yours is a wrist cuff, ask your doctor how to hold your arm.
- Keep it consistent. Note which arm you used and how you were sitting. The BP & Sugar Tracker can save the arm, position and device with each reading.
- One number is not the story. A single high reading is not a diagnosis, and a single normal one does not mean all is well. Readings over several days give a much fairer picture.
- Emergencies. If you have chest pain, severe breathlessness, weakness on one side, slurred speech or confusion, do not keep measuring — call 112 or get to the nearest hospital.
ⓘThis is general information, not medical advice. Talk to your doctor.
Sources
Last reviewed 1 October 2026.