Set Boundaries With Monitoring
There may be an urge to check your blood pressure repeatedly after a high reading. While home readings help your care team track how treatment is working, a clear plan for when to measure and what to do with the results helps you know when to put the cuff away, says Maria Alicia Carrillo-Sepulveda, PhD, an associate professor at New York Institute of Technology College of Osteopathic Medicine in Long Island.
Ask your doctor to write out a monitoring schedule with you, says Dr. Carrillo-Sepulveda. She says that a helpful plan addresses these questions:
- What times of day should I check, and how many readings should I take?
- How many days should I track my blood pressure?
- How should I share the results?
- Which readings or symptoms mean I should call or seek immediate care?
