Has your doctor alerted you to your high blood pressure and asked you to take your blood pressure regularly? Here’s how to do it using the Rule of Three.
Why take your blood pressure?
Hypertension is a common chronic condition. If your doctor has noted high blood pressure readings or you have risk factors such as age, gender, family history, chronic kidney disease, poor diet, excessive alcohol consumption or pregnancy, you should probably monitor your blood pressure regularly.
By taking regular measurements at home (to avoid the white coat effect), you will have a clear picture of your blood pressure and what you can do to maintain or improve it.
The Rule of Three
For optimal blood pressure monitoring, doctors recommend taking three measurements at one sitting. After spending 5 minutes resting in a seated position, take 3 blood pressure readings in a row to get an average of the 3 readings, which will then be more representative of your true blood pressure. The WITHINGS blood pressure monitors have a “x3” mode that allows you to record 3 blood pressure measurements in a row to obtain the average of the measurements.
These measurements should be repeated every morning before breakfast (and any medication) and every evening before bedtime for 3 days.
Share with your doctor
If you have a WITHINGS smart blood pressure monitor, you already know that the measurements are automatically recorded in the Health Mate app.
If you have a traditional blood pressure monitor, you can also manually enter the measurements into Health Mate. You will then have a complete history with a blood pressure log to share with your doctor by email in a few clicks.
Your doctor will then be able to help you make a diagnosis and consider an appropriate treatment if necessary.
