China’s annual death rate due to cardiovascular disease is as high as 17 million, while the awareness rate, treatment rate and control rate of hypertension are very low, and the control rate in areas with better living conditions is only 30%. In view of this situation, the World Health Organization (WHO) has called for the introduction of blood pressure monitors into all homes and encouraged patients to self-measure their blood pressure. However, the proportion of hypertensive patients in China who self-measure their blood pressure is still very low, taking Shanghai as an example, only 18.7% of hypertensive patients in Shanghai self-measured their blood pressure in 2005. Even for those patients who regularly self-measure their blood pressure, there are many misconceptions. During clinic visits, I often hear my hypertensive patients ask many questions, such as “How many times a day is it good to take my blood pressure?” “Which arm is the best one to measure?” “What is the best blood pressure monitor to choose?” “How to take blood pressure accurately?” …… Li Song, a cardiovascular specialist at Guangdong Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, must ensure a calm state of mind and body when taking blood pressure, otherwise both systolic and diastolic blood pressure will be increased. Do not smoke or drink coffee within 30 minutes before taking blood pressure, and take at least a 5-minute break. Before using the mercury column sphygmomanometer, make sure the level of the mercury column is at zero after the mercury column switch is turned on. The person to be measured should preferably be in a seated position, sitting on a seat with a backrest, or in a supine position. Regardless of the position, the upper arm and the sphygmomanometer should be at the same level as the heart. The upper arm is exposed, and 45 degrees of extension and abduction is appropriate. The sphygmomanometer cuff is tightly tied around the upper arm of the subject, with the middle of the balloon aligned with the brachial artery, and the cuff is tightened so that it can fit just one finger. The lower edge of the cuff is about 2 to 3 cm above the elbow bend. The membrane surface of the stethoscope is placed at the pulsation of the brachial artery in the elbow fossa. The cuff balloon should be inflated rapidly during the measurement, and the brachial artery pulsation sound should be listened to at the same time, and the height of the rising mercury column should be observed. After the pressure in the balloon reaches the disappearance of the brachial artery pulsation sound, the pressure should be raised by 20-30 mm Hg. Then, loosen the deflation knob on the balloon and make the balloon deflate slowly at a uniform rate (drop rate 2-3 mm Hg/sec), while the convex surface of the mercury column should be watched horizontally. During the deflation process, listen carefully to the Koch sound, when the first brachial artery pulsation sound (Koch first sound) is heard, the value shown on the convex surface of the mercury column is the systolic pressure; when the sound suddenly becomes smaller with the descending mercury column and finally disappears (Koch disappearance sound), the value shown on the mercury column is the diastolic pressure. When the blood pressure test is completed, the airbag is exhausted, the switch is closed and the cuff is rolled up and placed flatly in the sphygmomanometer case. Always turn off the mercury reservoir switch after each use of the mercury sphygmomanometer. To prevent leakage of mercury, the entire sphygmomanometer box should be tilted 45 degrees to the right after each use, so that all the mercury flows back into the reservoir next to the mercury meter, and then the switch is closed. With the development of technology, electronic blood pressure monitors have emerged to facilitate patients’ self-measurement of blood pressure. Many hypertensive patients have asked the same question: Is the electronic sphygmomanometer accurate in measuring blood pressure? Many studies have explored this issue and found that, as long as the measurement method is correct, there is little difference between the systolic and diastolic blood pressure of the electronic sphygmomanometer produced by a major manufacturer. However, electronic sphygmomanometer blood pressure measurement, need to pay attention to many issues. Such as cuff tying and sensor improperly placed, body movement and other circumstances can lead to errors, so do not use in the surrounding electric field, to prevent its interference, affecting the accuracy; measurement of blood pressure when the arm should be straight and relaxed, do not move, force, do not talk; measurement of blood pressure do not vibrate the table where the sphygmomanometer is placed; to ensure that the power supply power is sufficient, because the inflatable ball and LCD are required to consume power, insufficient power will also affect Accuracy. And because the principle used in electronic blood pressure monitor is different from the principle used in mercury column blood pressure monitor, therefore, electronic blood pressure monitor is not suitable for the following groups of people: ① excessive obesity; ② arrhythmia; ⑧ extremely weak pulse, severe respiratory distress and hypothermia patients; ④ heart rate lower than 40 times / min and higher than 240 times / min patients; ⑤ Parkinson’s disease patients. Patients with hypertension should develop the habit of regular self-monitoring of blood pressure, especially for patients with unstable blood pressure or those who are adjusting antihypertensive drugs, and should have their blood pressure tested three to four times a day, such as once in the morning before waking up, once at noon, once in the afternoon and once before going to bed. Patients who have their blood pressure measured for the first time should measure the blood pressure of the left and right upper limbs separately, and when the blood pressure differs between the left and right sides, the reading of the higher side should prevail. When measuring blood pressure, it is usually necessary to repeat the measurement 2 times and take the average; if the systolic or diastolic blood pressure readings of the 2 measurements are greater than 5 mm Hg, they should be measured again 2 minutes apart and then the average of the 3 readings should be taken. When repeatedly measuring blood pressure, the air cuff should be completely deflated for 2 to 3 minutes before taking the measurement. Some patients wear several sweaters in winter and are reluctant to take off their sleeves because they are too much trouble, but just push the sleeves upward, so that the measured blood pressure will be low. Correctly grasp the method and time of self-measurement blood pressure, can reflect the effect of medication more objectively, help doctors to timely adjust the drug dose and time to take medication, decide whether the need for a combination of drugs to achieve better control of blood pressure purposes. However, for those patients who have “white coat hypertension”, that is, those patients whose blood pressure is normally normal, and whose blood pressure rises when they see the doctor in the hospital, or those patients who are easily nervous, I personally suggest that patients should not pay too much attention to their blood pressure, and take their blood pressure at three fixed times every day (before waking up, at noon, and before going to bed). Otherwise, if you focus on the value of your blood pressure all the time, it will be more obvious that your blood pressure will rise due to tension.