ABPM: Measuring Blood Pressure on Your Own

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, simply known as ABPM is a technique used in measuring blood pressure during the day and night at regular intervals. Most doctors recommend using ambulatory blood pressure readings because once a patient goes to the hospital, the doctors can easily determine the problem without dealing with 'white coat hypertension effect', a condition wherein a patient's blood pressure increases or decreases when talking or being diagnosed by a doctor.

The goal of ABPM, as its name suggest, is to take measurements of a person's blood pressure throughout the day and night, which can help a doctor determine why and when high blood pressure occurs. As a result, a doctor can use the blood pressure readings in creating an appropriate high blood pressure treatment plan based on your condition.

One of the advantages of ABPM is that it helps a doctor to diagnose nocturnal hypertension. That being said, these measurements help a doctor determine if you are a 'dipper' or 'non-dipper' – a characteristic of patients that describes if your blood pressure at night drops considerably compared to your daytime readings. People with normal blood pressure readings usually experience a drop in readings at night. However, if you don't experience this "dip" at night, you may suffer from other health problems such as end-organ damage over time. Nocturnal hypertension is also used as an indication that lifestyle changes or use of medications is needed.

Some doctors also use readings from ABPM in targeting organ damage. However, using these kinds of readings may not be a good sign of high blood pressure-related organ damage because ABPM readings are variable. Since patients suffer from various types of organ damages associated with high blood pressure during the later stages, ambulatory blood pressure is a good tool in avoiding such damages. If your doctor hasn't recommended ambulatory blood pressure measuring, ask about it and discuss with your doctor if it may be a good tool to use for your condition.

Contributed by High Blood Pressure Treatment, a website with information on hypertension and hypotension.