Blood pressure monitoring over 24 hours may give a clearer indication of whether someone has hypertension than single measurements made in the doctor’s office. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, can cause or worsen kidney disease and is also a risk factor for heart disease or stroke. So it is important to diagnose it accurately which is where blood pressure monitoring comes in. Normally, blood pressure falls at night because someone is usually asleep (less active). Blood pressure monitoring can detect this ‘dip’ at night and its absence is often a sign of hypertension.

Blood pressure monitoring may interfere with sleep