Blood pressure monitoring is a good evaluation of your overall health and can also alert your doctor to different diseases and conditions.

Your blood pressure can rise and fall quickly sometimes, due to changes in activity levels, stress and other factors. In order for your Hurley Medical Center physician to understand how your blood pressure may change over time, or to assess your blood pressure treatment, you may be asked to wear a 24-hour blood pressure monitor.

Wearing a blood pressure monitor

This small machine about the size of a small cellphone is attached to a blood-pressure cuff that you wear on your arm under your shirt sleeve. The machine base is worn on a clip that attaches to your belt or a pocket. Over the course of an entire day, the machine records your blood pressure at specific intervals as you go about your normal activities.

After the 24-hour test is complete, you will return the blood pressure machine to your physician, who will enter the data into a computer and discuss the results with you.

You may be asked to wear a 24-hour blood pressure monitor for the following reasons:

• Your blood pressure appears to stay at “borderline” high levels
• You are having difficulty controlling your blood pressure
• Medications that you are taking may be affecting your blood pressure
• You may be experiencing high blood pressure during pregnancy
• You are experiencing periods of dizziness, lightheadedness or fainting