Everything we publish, in the order you need it
Has a doctor just asked you to check your blood pressure at home? Work down this page. Get a monitor that has actually been tested. Get the cuff size right. Learn to take the reading the same way each time. Then learn what the number means.
Getting set up
Buy the right thing once, instead of buying twice.
The home tracking starter kit
Everything in one place: how to take a reading that counts, what to write down, cuff sizing, and how to turn a month of numbers into one figure for your appointment.
Validated blood pressure monitors
The four we recommend, every model number checked against the AMA listing, plus the ones we rejected and why.
Extra large cuffs and big arms
A regular cuff on an arm that needs an extra large one reads 19.5 mmHg too high. What to measure, and what to buy when the cuff in the box does not reach.
Blood pressure cuff size chart
Measure your arm, match it to the chart. The wrong cuff size changes your reading more than the wrong monitor does.
Taking a reading you can trust
The same reading taken two different ways gives two different numbers.
Understanding the number
One reading is a data point. A run of readings is information.
Logs and printables
Bring a record to your appointment instead of a memory.
Free blood pressure log PDF
A printable log sheet you can fill in by hand. No email needed.
Printable log sheet
The paper version, if you would rather write than tap.
AHA blood pressure log
What the American Heart Association log format asks for, and how to keep the same record digitally.
Blood pressure average calculator
Turn a pile of readings into the one number a doctor asks for. Runs in your browser, and nothing you type is sent anywhere.
Tracking over time
One reading says very little. Thirty say something.
As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Some of the guides above link to Amazon. We only recommend monitors whose exact model number we checked against the AMA Validated Device Listing ourselves.
BP Central keeps a record of readings you enter yourself. It does not measure your blood pressure and it is not medical advice. One reading at home does not diagnose anything. Only a doctor or other health professional can do that.