BPTally Blog
Blood pressure, explained
Plain-language guides to understanding, measuring, and tracking your blood pressure — written around the AHA/ACC categories BPTally uses.
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Blood pressure by age: what a "normal" reading really means
Is there a different normal blood pressure for your age? What the AHA/ACC 2017 categories actually say about adults at 40, 50, 60, and beyond — and the age-chart myth.
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Blood pressure difference between arms: how much is normal?
Why your left and right arm can give different blood pressure readings, how big a difference is worth mentioning to a clinician, and which arm to use for home monitoring.
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Sharing blood pressure readings with your doctor: what to track and how to export a PDF
What cardiologists actually want from home blood pressure logs — the readings, averages, and variability that matter — and how to hand them a clean one-page PDF instead of a screenshot.
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Is there a free blood pressure app without a subscription? What to look for
A practical guide to choosing a free blood pressure app: what a good free tier includes, logbook vs medical device, privacy red flags, and when a subscription is worth it.
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How often should you check your blood pressure at home?
How frequently to measure your blood pressure — during a monitoring week, after a medication change, and once things are stable — plus why over-checking can backfire.
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White coat hypertension: why your blood pressure reads higher at the doctor
Why blood pressure is often higher in the clinic than at home, what white coat (and masked) hypertension mean, and why home readings give a clearer picture.
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Blood pressure categories explained: what the AHA numbers mean
Normal, elevated, stage 1, stage 2, and hypertensive crisis — the 2017 AHA/ACC blood pressure categories, the exact thresholds, and how to read your own readings.
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How to measure your blood pressure at home (the right way)
A simple, clinic-aligned routine for accurate home blood pressure readings: the right cuff, posture, timing, and the common mistakes that inflate your numbers.
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