24 Hour Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring
Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring (ABPM) measures your blood pressure over the course of a full day (24 hours). You will wear a blood pressure cuff on your upper arm that is connected to a monitor. The monitor records your blood pressure readings 3 times per hour while awake and 1 time per hour while sleeping.
Measuring your blood pressure in your normal environment and during your usual daily routines gives your doctor a better idea
of how your blood pressure changes throughout the day. Some reasons for having ABPM:
1. White coat hypertension: high blood pressure in clinic settings (around medical staff or doctors) with lower blood pressure outside of clinic.
2. High blood pressure without a diagnosis of hypertension: blood pressure may be high sometimes and more blood pressure measurements are needed.
3. Hypertension medicine assessment: to make sure your blood pressure medicines are working as they should all day.
4. Assess symptoms - such as lightheadedness, dizziness, or headaches, to check if these are due to blood pressure.
