The “white coat” effect of your doctor’s office may be preventing you from knowing what your true blood pressure reading really is according to science based studies. There is now overwhelming scientific evidence that using a home blood pressure monitor is superior to in-office blood pressure measurements, according to a joint scientific statement from the American Heart Association and the American Society of Hypertension published in the journal Hypertension.[1]

The expert panel, chaired by Dr. Thomas Pickering of Columbia University, recommended that if you have hypertension or borderline hypertension, you should be using a home blood pressure monitor on a regular basis. Only then will using a blood pressure chart to classify your blood pressure be worthwhile.

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[1] Hypertension. 2008; 52: 10-29.

This post appeared in 2013 and has been updated.