Track Your Blood Pressure Online
Learn to get accurate readings at home
If you are concerned about hypertension, you probably know that your blood pressure changes from hour to hour, sometimes even minute to minute. Standing up, watching an exciting show, eating dinner, being stressed, even the time of day can influence your blood pressure. It jumps around so much that you are more likely to get a "normal" reading if you check it at home rather than in the doctor's office.
My HealtheVet's Track Health feature can be a powerful tool for managing your blood pressure and helping you keep a healthy lifestyle.
Managing blood pressure
Typically, blood pressure increases with age. Risk of high blood pressure increases when people hit age 45. High blood pressure probably won't cause you to die today, but it can lead to serious problems down the road. However, there is plenty you can do to prevent, delay, and treat the condition.
Track your numbers
Getting an accurate view of your blood pressure can help you start making improvements.
One blood pressure reading only tells you what your blood pressure is at that moment. By using My HealtheVet's Track Health feature, you can create a record of all readings taken. This helps your doctor when checking if your treatments are lowering your blood pressure and what corrections may need to be done.
You can monitor and view your blood pressure with My HealtheVet by using the following steps:
In the navigation bar at the top of the page, select Track Health
Scroll down and select Vitals
In the navigation bar on the left-hand side of the page, choose Blood Pressure
Once there, you will see your Personal Health Journal
To add a new reading, select Add New
Once there, you will enter the date, time, systolic number, diastolic number, and any comments about the reading you want to add. Normal blood pressure for adults ages 18 and older is between 90/60 and 120/80. "Normal" varies from person to person. Check with your health care team to find out what is normal for you, given your condition.
Then, select Save or Save & Add Another if you have more readings to enter
And remember, you can't feel your blood pressure getting better or worse. Measuring your blood pressure regularly offers essential information about whether your lifestyle changes and medications are having their desired effects. Reach out to your health care team with Secure Messaging if you have any questions.
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