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Many individuals find that they become apprehensive and tense while having their blood pressure taken at a doctor’s office or hospital. This can cause falsely elevated readings, commonly known as “white coat hypertension”. One way to determine this is to take your own readings in the comfort of your home and compare them with readings from your doctor.

Home monitoring is recommended by more than two out of three physicians for their patients with hypertension.

Self-measurement at home supplements the doctor’s readings and provides a more accurate and complete blood pressure history. Moreover, clinical studies have shown that detection and treatment of hypertension is improved when patients both consult their physicians and monitor their own blood pressure at home.

LifeSource blood pressure monitors are FAST, incredibly EASY and, most importantly, ACCURATE. Valuable “Only from LifeSource” features include the Pressure Rating Indicator™, which provides an immediate colour-coded snapshot of your pressure level, Irregular Heartbeat Detection, which compensates for irregular heartbeats (a common source for errors), and TimeWise™ technology which tracks your AM and PM readings separately (critical for optimal medication management).

LifeSource is proud to be highly, “Recommended by the Canadian Hypertension Society” on our most popular monitors, providing you with assurance of the highest accuracy and quality standards possible. Always look for the heart-check logo inside the yellow triangle on LifeSource packaging.

All LifeSource monitors offer a LIFETIME WARRANTY for both monitor and cuff and are backed by outstanding Canadian customer support to ensure you get the most from your monitor.

Your cuff might be too small for you. A cuff that is too small yields a measurement that is higher than the correct blood pressure. Be sure to check that you are using the correct cuff size before taking your blood pressure. Please reference the section called “Select the correct cuff” in the instruction manual or see question 3 of this present FAQ to determine your correct cuff size. If your measurements still seem high, please consult your physician.

An individual’s blood pressure varies greatly from day to day and season to season. Normally, blood pressure rises during work or play and falls to its lowest levels during sleep. The best way to get consistent readings is to monitor your blood pressure at least once a day, at the same time so that you can minimize the effect that external factors have on the reading.

Using the correct size is important for an accurate reading. With your arm hanging at the side of your body, measure the circumference of your upper arm at the midpoint between shoulder and elbow. Based on that information, you can determine what size cuff would work for you using the chart below (also available in the instruction manual):

Small cuff: 13 – 20 cm (5.1″ – 7.9″)
Medium cuff: 19 – 31 cm (7.5″ – 12.2″)
Large cuff: 30 – 45 cm (11.8″ – 17.7″)

Although you may fit into a smaller cuff, you need to use the correct one to ensure an accurate reading. If your cuff is too small, your blood pressure reading will be artificially high. If your cuff is too large, you may get a lower-than-actual reading.

For the Auto-Inflation (model UA-767), you need to set the cuff inflation pressure switch to a number that is at least 30 mmHg higher than your expected systolic pressure. For example, if you believe your blood pressure to be 140 (systolic) over 90 (diastolic) set the switch to 180.

What if I set it too high?
You will still receive an accurate reading, but your arm will be constricted longer and you may feel some discomfort.

What if I set it too low?
The cuff will automatically deflate and reinflate again to the correct pressure

Although you may be sitting correctly, and have the pressure setting on the appropriate level, you must remain very still. The blood pressure monitor works by sensing vibration of blood as it moves under the cuff. Moving, talking and other causes of vibration may result in an error message. The symbols ERR or ERR2 mean that either you or the monitor moved during the reading.

Hypertension is the most under treated cardiovascular condition in Canada today, affecting roughly 20 percent of the population (5 million people). It can lead to heart disease, strokes and other health problems. Yet, according to a 1997 study by the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Pressure, only 27 percent of individuals with high blood pressure are adequately controlled, leaving 36 million people at risk of health problems. Physicians need to be more aggressive in controlling hypertension with medications, and the public needs to be made more aware of the risks.

Although doctors define high blood pressure as a blood pressure above 140/90 mmHg, we know that if you are otherwise healthy and not on blood pressure medications, the lower your blood pressure the better off you are, and the longer your life expectancy. Blood pressure is very variable, and is influenced greatly by activity, foods, and medications. Although there are no absolute rules for what constitutes a normal blood pressure, 120/80 mm Hg is considered desirable for adults without hypertension. For individuals with hypertension, a desirable blood pressure on treatment is 135-140/82-86 mm Hg. Blood pressure does not necessarily go up as we get older. Hypertension (defined as blood pressure greater than 140/90 mm Hg) is more common in older individuals, and isolated systolic hypertension (elevated ‘top number’, with normal diastolic, or ‘bottom number’) is especially more common in the elderly.

High blood pressure (hypertension) is one of the major causes of heart disease and stroke. One out of every five Canadians is adversely affected. Hypertension is often called the “silent killer” because there are not necessarily any visible symptoms for high blood pressure. Sometimes a physician or healthcare professional detects hypertension when measuring a person’s blood pressure. Unfortunately, if left undetected serious internal damage eventually results in the heart (heart attack), brain (stroke) or blood vessels (hardening of the arteries).

Certain factors do increase a person’s chance of having high blood pressure. These factors include: Age, Race, Stress, Family history of high blood pressure, Obesity, Alcohol, Salt, Diabetes and Sedentary Lifestyle.

Many individuals find that they become apprehensive and tense while having their blood pressure taken at a doctor’s office or hospital. This can cause falsely elevated readings, commonly known as “white coat hypertension”. One way to determine this is to take your own readings in the comfort of your home and compare them with readings from your doctor. Home monitoring is recommended by more than two out of three physicians for their patients with hypertension. Self-measurement at home supplements the doctor’s readings and provides a more accurate and complete blood pressure history. Moreover, clinical studies have shown that detection and treatment of hypertension is improved when patients both consult their physicians and monitor their own blood pressure at home.

It has been known for some time that the incidence of high blood pressure is higher in people with diabetes than it is in the general non-diabetic population. However, a major study, called the United Kingdom Prospective Diabetes Study (released in 1998) showed something new: amongst patients with both diabetes and high blood pressure, control of blood pressure was crucial in the management of diabetes.

Age, weight, time of day, altitude, climate, and even the time of year are some of the sources of normal variations that can influence blood pressure. Other common variations are caused by physical activity, caffeine, alcohol, medication, and certain foods. These variations are normal. Keep a record of your measurements and consult your doctor about any variations.