Taking your own blood pressure and heart rate (pulse)

Your doctor may advise you to take regular blood pressure and heart rate (pulse) readings at home, or you may decide to do this for your own interest. Either way, it is important that you learn how to take an accurate reading.

Why?

Monitoring your own blood pressure and heart rate can make you feel more in control of your condition and have more confidence in the treatment you have been given. Doctors and nurses will be interested in seeing a well-organised chart recording your heart rate and blood pressure at regular intervals. It provides information that will help your doctor to fine tune your treatment.

However, measuring your blood pressure at home can also make you more anxious about your condition. If so, you should try to resist the temptation to take readings more often than your doctor has recommended. Your doctor will discuss with you your present blood pressure and heart rate values, and explain to you the target values that should be achieved with the help of your treatment.

How?

Blood pressure monitors are rarely available free of charge from your doctor. However, you may be able to borrow one for a period of time. Your doctor will be able to advise you on the best type of machine to buy, and you should ask the doctor or nurse to check its accuracy, and your ability to use it, before you start taking readings.

You can measure your pulse rate quite simply at home. All you need is a watch with a second hand or a digital stop-watch. Find a quiet place where you are not distracted, sit down, and after at least 10 minutes (to ensure you obtain a resting pulse) count your pulse by gently placing two fingers on the inside of your other wrist, below your thumb and count the beats for 30 seconds (do not use your thumb as you may feel its own pulse). You then double this figure to get your resting pulse ? this should usually be between 60 and 100 beats per minute.

ESC Guidelines for Heart Failure

What patients need to know

This guide for patients from the European Society of Cardiology aims to provide an overview of the latest evidence-based recommendations for the diagnosis and treatment of heart failure.

In particular, it should help patients to understand the:

  • main types of heart failure
  • medicines used to treat heart failure
  • devices that may be appropriate
  • importance of rehabilitation
  • management by a multidisciplinary team
  • importance of self-care in managing your own condition

Learn more

AN ANIMATED JOURNEY THROUGH HEART FAILURE

A series of 9 simple, captivating animations explaining heart failure and its treatment.

These narrated animations explain how a healthy heart works, what happens to it in heart failure and how various treatments work to improve your health.

PATIENT AND CAREGIVERS VIDEOS

In this section you can watch, listen or read interviews with other people with heart failure and their caregivers.

VISIT OUR FACEBOOK PAGE

and share your own views and experiences with other patients, families and caregivers.

heartfailurematters.org is a European Society of Cardiology website

The heartfailurematters.org website was developed under the direction of the Heart Failure Association of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC). The ESC is a world leader in the discovery and dissemination of best practices in cardiovascular medicine. Our members and decision-makers are healthcare professionals who volunteer their time and expertise to represent professionals in the field of cardiology in Europe and beyond.

Back to top