What Is The Best Time To Take Your Blood Pressure

Factors That Can Affect Your Readings

There are a few general rules to be aware of when it comes to timing your blood pressure reading.

For example, its not a good idea to take your blood pressure immediately after you wake up, as this will give your lowest reading. Instead, aim to check it when youve been up for about half an hour.

Its also best not to wait until after breakfast and your morning coffee since both food and caffeine can raise your blood pressure. Ideally, a morning blood pressure can be taken after you brush your teeth, shower, and get dressed but before you eat or leave for work.

Food and caffeine arent the only things that can cause your blood pressure to spike. There are several other everyday things that can make your blood pressure rise.

No matter what time of day you take your blood pressure, its best to avoid these things for at least half an hour before you take a reading:

• smoking or using tobacco

How Does My Circadian Rhythm Affect My Blood Pressure Medication

Michael Smolensky, adjunct professor of biomedical engineering at the University of Texas, Ausin, reports, â”The body doesn’t respond to medications in the same way at different times of the day. Some drugs are not as effective or as well tolerated if they’re taken at the wrong biological time. It’s not that they’re not effective at all, but they’re certainly much less effective.”Studies on chronotherapy have found that taking high blood pressure medications before bedtime help with the non-dipping issue. This reduces your risk of heart attack and stroke by normalizing your daily blood pressure rhythm. Specifically, it has been reported that drugs called ACE inhibitors and ARBs are the most effective when taken at bedtime.

Maxte Fitness And Activity Tracker Watch

One of the easiest smartwatches to read, the Maxte Tracker Watch, has a full-color LCD screen with three customizable displays. Its intelligent activity tracker automatically monitors your heart rate, blood pressure, and oxygen, steps, calories burned, and distance traveled. For those who need to stay connected at all times, it displays call, and text notifications, news headlines in 12 languages, WeChat support, Apple Health compatibility, and has silent alarms, as well as movement reminders to keep you on track.

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How To Measure Your Blood Pressure At Home Using A Home Monitor

Follow the instructions that came with your monitor. Make sure you place the cuff around your arm as described in the instructions.

Place the arm cuff just above your elbow. The cuff should be about 2cm above your elbow to make sure it can detect the artery in your arm, just under the skin.

Keep still and quietwhile you take your reading. Moving, chewing, talking and laughing can affect your reading. Make sure you don’t cross your legs, as this will raise your reading too.

Take two or three readings, each about one to two minutes apart. If your first reading is much higher than the next, ignore it and take an extra reading. Once you have two to three readings, you can work out the average.

Keep a record of your measurements. Record all your readings in the memory of your monitor, on your computer or phone or on paper whichever you prefer. Write them down exactly as they appear on screen.

The Nutrient That Activates Heart

Youve likely heard about vitamins A, B, C and D, but what about K2? If youre scratching your head, youre certainly not alone. Vitamin K2 doesn’t get as much attention as other nutrients, and you wont find it on most food labels.

But this essential vitamin plays an oversized role in keeping your heart healthy. Also known as Activator X , vitamin K2 has the important job of activating critical proteins necessary for healthy blood pressure and pulse rates.

One of the most important K2-activated proteins is called Matrix Gla Protein, or MGP. This protein keeps calcium out of your blood vessels so they dont harden, a condition called atherosclerosis. Hard, narrow blood vessels force your blood pressure to go up, which leads to other high-risk conditions.

And thats just one way vitamin K2 helps keep your blood pressure and heart rate at normal levels.

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When Is The Best Time To Take Blood Pressure Medication

Raleigh Medical Group, P.A.Blood Pressure, General Posts, Men’s Health, Women’s Healthhigh blood pressure, men’s health, women’s health

One out of three American adults has high blood pressure, equating to roughly 75 million people. When you take into account health care services, medications and work absences, the cost of this disease is more than $46 billion annually, according to information from the Centers for Disease Control.

High blood pressure places you at a greater risk for heart attacks or strokes, and yet it is known as the silent killer because there are often no noticeable symptoms. In addition to diet and lifestyle changes, medication can help reduce your blood pressure and your risk of complications such as kidney damage, stroke and heart damage.

However, its very important that you speak to one of our general practitioners in Raleigh about what time you should take your blood pressure medications.

What Is Blood Pressure

Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing on the walls of your arteries. Your BP results are written as 2 numbers. The first, or top, number is called systolic BP. This is the pressure caused by your heart pushing blood out to your body. The second, or bottom, number is called diastolic BP. This is the pressure when your heart relaxes and fills back up with blood. Ask your healthcare provider what your BP should be. For most people, a good BP goal is less than 120/80.

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How Can I Measure My Blood Pressure At Home

Talk with your health care team about regularly measuring your blood pressure at home, also called self-measured blood pressure monitoring.

SMBP means you regularly use a personal blood pressure measurement device away from a doctors office or hospitalusually at home. These blood pressure monitors are easy and safe to use. A health care team member can show you how to use one if you need help.

Evidence shows that people with high blood pressure are more likely to lower their blood pressure if they use SMBP combined with support from their health care team than if they dont use SMBP.3

Use these additional tips for SMBP:4

• Use a blood pressure log pdf icon to record your blood pressure measurements.
• Take your blood pressure at the same time every day.
• Take at least two readings, 1 or 2 minutes apart.

Morepro Heart Rate Monitor Blood Pressure

The slim and unobtrusive design of the MorePro Heart Rate Monitor fits easily into both active and casual wardrobes. This wearable ECG is easy to use and connects to the app for instant results about your heart rate and blood pressure. Fitness also contributes to heart health, so keep an eye on your movement levels with intelligent activity tracking. Youll be able to measure your calories, distance, steps, and time in order to crush your fitness goals. Finally, get a good nights sleep with monitoring to track light and deep rest cycles. Additional details of this watch include five-day battery life and an IP68 waterproof rating so you can wear it for showering and some watersports.

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What Time Of Day Is Blood Pressure Highest

Blood pressure is created from the force of the blood pushing against the artery walls. It constantly changes during the day, depending on physical activity, emotional stress or even foods that you eat. Certain variations of blood pressure are normal. However, extreme swings of blood pressure may indicate health problems which often require medical treatment. Then how does blood pressure fluctuate? Then when is the blood pressure highest or lowest during the day?

Customer Reviews From The Other Users

Reviews have the ability to impact customer decisions while also bolstering a companys trustworthiness. The majority of savvy buyers would look up reviews from old users experiences with the watch for blood pressure, which helps them figure out whether it is reliable.

So, this is a good way of having a good idea about anything before buying.

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Welcome To Our Home Monitoring Resource Hub

Here you can find resources for home monitoring, see our simple steps to get an accurate reading and make the most out of home monitoring.

Plus, read more about .

The first step to managing your blood pressure is to Know Your Numbers! Watch our video to see how to measure your blood pressure at home and use our tips and resources below to check your own blood pressure at home.

The Best Time To Take Your Blood Pressure Drugs May Be At Night

Those who took their hypertension medications at bedtime had a lower risk for heart problems.

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Blood pressure medicines may work better if they are taken at night.

Spanish researchers randomized 19,084 men and women with diagnoses of high blood pressure, half to take their medicine at bedtime and the other half when they awoke. Over a six-year follow-up, there were 3,246 coronary events stroke, heart attack, heart failure, angina and others and 310 deaths from cardiovascular disease.

The study, in the European Heart Journal, controlled for age, sex, number and type of blood pressure medicines, sleep apnea, smoking, diabetes, obesity, cholesterol and dozens of other cardiovascular risk factors.

Compared with those who took their medicine in the morning, those who took it at night were 43 percent less likely to have any cardiovascular event. Their risk for stroke was 49 percent lower, for heart attack 34 percent lower, and for heart failure 42 percent lower. Bedtime users had a 45 percent lower risk for death from any cause, and a 56 percent lower risk for death from cardiovascular disease.

The study also found that bedtime therapy was associated with improved kidney function and healthier cholesterol levels.

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You And Your Medicines

Important information about your medicines:

• Know the name of each medicine you take.
• Carry a list of medicines with you.
• Know how and when to take each medicine.
• Know what side effects to report to your doctor or nurse.
• Tell your doctor or nurse about all of the vitamins, herbs, supplements and pills you take.
• Never stop taking a medicine without calling your doctor or nurse.

Tips To Measure Your Blood Pressure Correctly

To determine whether you have hypertension, a medical professional will take a blood pressure reading. How you prepare for the test, the position of your arm, and other factors can change a blood pressure reading by 10% or more. That could be enough to hide high blood pressure, start you on a drug you don’t really need, or lead your doctor to incorrectly adjust your medications.

National and international guidelines offer specific instructions for measuring blood pressure. If a doctor, nurse, or medical assistant isn’t doing it right, don’t hesitate to ask him or her to get with the guidelines.

Here’s what you can do to ensure a correct reading:

Don’t drink a caffeinated beverage or smoke during the 30 minutes before the test.

Sit quietly for five minutes before the test begins.

During the measurement, sit in a chair with your feet on the floor and your arm supported so your elbow is at about heart level.

The inflatable part of the cuff should completely cover at least 80% of your upper arm, and the cuff should be placed on bare skin, not over a shirt.

Don’t talk during the measurement.

Have your blood pressure measured twice, with a brief break in between. If the readings are different by 5 points or more, have it done a third time.

For more on getting your blood pressure under control, buy Controlling Your Blood Pressure, a Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School.

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Dress Properly And Expose Your Wrist

The wrist cuff should wrap around your skin and not over any clothes. This will allow the monitor to receive the best signal from your blood vessels as possible. Also, consider wearing a short sleeve shirt or a sleeve that can easily be moved up your forearm and out of the way.

A looser more comfortable sleeve would be best, so it doesnt have to be tight or uncomfortable after its moved up your arm.

What Steps Should I Take While Checking My Blood Pressure At Home

Before taking your blood pressure

• Find a quiet place.
• Check to be sure you have the correct size cuff. If you are not sure, or if you have questions, talk to your healthcare provider.
• Roll up the sleeve on your left arm or remove any tight-sleeved clothing, if needed.
• Rest in a chair next to a table for 5 to 10 minutes.
• Sit up straight with your back against the chair, legs uncrossed and on the ground.
• Rest your forearm on the table with the palm of your hand facing up.
• You should not talk, read the newspaper, or watch television during this process.

Taking your blood pressure

If you buy a manual or digital blood pressure monitor , follow the instruction booklet carefully.

Record your blood pressure

If you have been asked to record your blood pressure and bring your readings to the office, please write down the date, time of day, systolic and diastolic numbers, heart rate, and which arm you took the reading on. If you are taking part in a program that has remote monitoring, your blood pressure readings are automatically shared with your medical provider. If you are unsure, please ask your provider.

Last reviewed by a Cleveland Clinic medical professional on 10/23/2018.

References

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/6here Is The Right Way

Hypertension or High blood pressure if left uncontrolled can lead to severe health-related complications like heart attack and stroke. That’s why people who have a problem of high blood pressure or fluctuating blood pressure need to take their readings at regular intervals to decide the future course of action. People dealing with hypertension often wonder about the ideal time of day to check their readings, and to be honest there is no perfect time as it varies as per your daily schedule. Whether you’re doing it at home or in the doctor’s office, your schedule, your level of physical activity and your meal timing play a great role to get an accurate reading.

Blood Pressure And Salt

Eat Less Salt

You can lower your blood pressure by losing weight or eating less salt, also called sodium. As part of a healthy eating pattern, the goal is less than 2,300 mg of sodium per dayabout 1 teaspoon of salt. Ideal amount is less than 1,500 mg per day, especially if you have high blood pressure, are age 50 or older, or African American.

As you eat less salt, your taste will adjust to the lower levels. It may take time to reach your goal but cutting your daily salt intake by 1/2 teaspoon can improve your blood pressure and your heart health.

Most people get most of their sodium from packaged and restaurant foods.

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How Blood Pressure Medication Works

There are 11 types of blood pressure medication. Each works in different ways, but the overall goal of hypertension drugs is to make it easier for blood to flow and for the heart to beat.

• Diureticsflush excess fluid and sodium out of the body.
• Beta-blockersmake the heart beat more slowly. They reduce how hard it has to work and the amount of blood it has to put out.
• ACE inhibitorshelp to reduce the amount of a hormone called angiotensin. This hormone causes arteries to narrow.
• Angiotensin II receptor blockers block the receptors for angiotensin to prevent it from narrowing arteries.
• Calcium channel blockersrelax and dilate blood vessels. They also lower heart rate.
• Alpha-blockershelp to relax the walls of blood vessels.
• Alpha-2 receptor agonists lower the activity of the sympathetic nervous system. This is a part of the nervous system that controls heart rate and other involuntary body functions.
• Combined alpha- and beta-blockers are mostly used to treat people having a hypertensive crisis. They are sometimes prescribed for those at high risk of heart failure.
• Central agonists make it harder for blood vessels to contract.
• Peripheral adrenergic inhibitors block chemicals in the brain that play a role in causing blood vessels to become narrow.
• Vasodilators relax the walls of blood vessels. This helps them to widen and allows blood to flow more easily.

Why Do I Need To Take My Bp

You may not have any signs or symptoms of high BP. You may need to take your BP regularly to know how often your BP is high. High BP increases your risk for a stroke, heart attack, or kidney disease. You may need to take medicine to keep your BP at a normal level. Write down and keep a log of your BP. Your healthcare provider can use the BP results in your log to see if your BP medicines are working.

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