There are several reasons why you might need 24-hour BP monitoring.

Continuous BP monitoring is helpful if you have ‘white coat hypertension’, or ‘masked hypertension’. This is when your blood pressure is high when it’s measured at the doctor’s office, but is not normally high. A 24-hour BP monitor could show us that you don’t usually have high blood pressure, so could help you avoid taking medication unnecessarily.

If you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, a BP monitor can assess the effectiveness of medication over a 24-hour period. We can see if your blood pressure remains high when you are sleeping, as this may mean your medication needs to be adjusted.

A BP monitor can show us more generally if your high blood pressure isn’t being controlled. This could help us prevent complications such as stroke, heart failure, heart attack or kidney failure.

We will advise you to wear a top with loose sleeves for your appointment. This allows us to fit the blood pressure cuff easily onto your upper arm.

The belt you’ll use to hold the monitor part can be your own. If you don’t have a belt that you want to use, we are happy to provide one.

Usually, the cuff is attached to your less dominant arm. This is your left arm if you are right-handed, and your right hand if you are left-handed.

We’ll inflate the blood pressure cuff and check that the monitor is recording properly, before setting the device to record your blood pressure at regular intervals.

After the 24 hours, you can turn off the monitor easily by removing it from the case and turning the switch located on the base to ‘off’.

Wearing this device is non-invasive and very safe. Some people find their upper arm becomes sore, due to the repeating inflation of the cuff, or they find it difficult to sleep. We will give you advice on doing your day-to-day activities during the 24 hours of monitoring when we fit the device.

Sleeping

At night, you can undo the belt that holds the monitor and place it under your pillow. This will make it easier for you to read or sleep. However, the cuff that holds the meter shouldn’t be removed from your upper arm.

Driving

It is not advisable to drive during the 24 hours you are wearing the monitor. For this reason, you should arrange transport to and from your appointment.

Exercising

We recommend that you don’t engage in any intense physical exercise while wearing the monitor. This includes going to the gym, swimming, or sport. However, taking a walk is fine.