A blood pressure log is one of the simplest forms a family keeps. A doctor or nurse asks for home readings before the next visit, and someone has to write them down: the person themselves, or the partner, son or daughter who works the cuff. This log is made for both, in large print.
What's in the free file
- One week on one page, Monday to Sunday, with a morning row (AM) and an evening row (PM) for each day: 14 rows in all.
- Seven columns: day and date, AM or PM, time, SYS (the top number), DIA (the bottom number), pulse and notes.
- Three lines at the top: the person's name, the week, and "Target set by my doctor".
- Large print. The title is 26 point, the lines at the top 18 point, and the column headings and the days 16 point bold. Typed numbers fill in at 16 point.
- Fill-in fields. Type into every line and box before you print, in the free Adobe Acrobat Reader, or print it blank and write by hand.
- No pictures and no chart of numbers: a blank form only.
- Sizes: US Letter and A4, as two files.
What goes in each column?
| Column | What to write |
|---|---|
| Day and date | The date, on the line under the printed day |
| AM or PM | Already printed: the AM row is for a morning reading, the PM row for an evening one |
| Time | The time of the reading, such as 7:45 |
| SYS (top) | The top number on the monitor's screen |
| DIA (bottom) | The bottom number on the monitor's screen |
| Pulse | The pulse the monitor shows, in beats per minute |
| Notes | Anything different about that reading, such as "left arm" or "second reading" |
SYS is short for systolic and DIA for diastolic, the words monitors print next to the top and bottom numbers. Write them in the same order the monitor shows them, with the top number first.
How to fill in the log
- Fill in the name and the target first. If the person's doctor gave them a target, write it on the target line exactly as the doctor wrote it. If not, leave it blank.
- Write the week at the top, and the date under each day as the week goes along.
- Take the reading the way the doctor or nurse showed you, then write the time, the top number, the bottom number and the pulse in that row.
- Use Notes for anything different: a second reading, the other arm, a reading taken late, a new cuff, a missed row and why.
- Leave a row blank if no reading was taken, rather than filling in a guess.
- Start a new page each week, and keep the pages together, newest on top.
- Take the pages to the appointment. The American Heart Association's own log tells you to show it to your health care professional at every visit.
What do the CDC and the American Heart Association say about home readings?
Both publish tips for people who measure at home. In short:
- The same time every day. The CDC suggests taking your blood pressure at the same time every day.
- More than one reading. The CDC says to take at least two readings, 1 or 2 minutes apart. The American Heart Association says to take two readings one minute apart each time, and to record the results.
- How often is a question for the care team. Both tell you to talk with your health care team about how often to measure.
The CDC's checklist for each reading: don't eat or drink anything for 30 minutes before, empty the bladder, sit with the back supported for at least 5 minutes, feet flat and legs uncrossed, the arm resting on a table at chest height, the cuff snug but not too tight, against bare skin, and no talking during the reading.
Our log has one row for each morning and each evening, with room for one reading. If you take two readings each time, as the CDC and the American Heart Association suggest, write the second one in Notes, or use one row for each reading on the undated page in our full log.
Who keeps a blood pressure log?
- The person themselves, when the doctor asks for home readings before a visit or after a change.
- A family caregiver who takes the readings for a parent or a partner, and shows the page at appointments.
- A home aide, who writes the readings in the same place each shift, so the family can see the week at a glance.
- Several people at once. When siblings take turns, the log is where the readings meet. Add your initials in Notes.
Paper log or the monitor's memory?
Many home monitors store readings, and the American Heart Association suggests taking a monitor with built-in memory to appointments. A paper log is still useful alongside it. It shows a whole week on one page, it holds notes the monitor can't (which arm, what was different), and anyone in the house can read it without pressing buttons. If a monitor is shared between two people, a paper log keeps their readings apart.
What this log is not
It is a blank form. It does not say whether a reading is high, low or fine, and it has no chart of ranges on purpose: what the numbers mean for one person, and what to do about them, is for their own doctor or nurse. The target line is for the number their doctor gives them.
Our full Large-Print Blood Pressure Log adds the same week starting on Sunday, an undated page with one reading per line, a month in two pages with morning and evening columns, and a notes page.
A blood pressure log is one of the printable forms for family caregivers that families keep together in one binder, next to the large-print medication list.
Frequently asked questions
How do I fill in a blood pressure log?
Write the date and the time, then the top number (SYS), the bottom number (DIA) and the pulse, in the order the monitor shows them. Use the morning row for a morning reading and the evening row for an evening one, and write anything different in Notes.
What do SYS and DIA mean on a blood pressure log?
SYS stands for systolic, the top number of a blood pressure reading. DIA stands for diastolic, the bottom number. Most home monitors print SYS and DIA next to the two numbers on the screen.
How many readings should I write down?
The CDC and the American Heart Association suggest two readings each time you measure; our log has one row for each time, with Notes for a second reading. How often to measure, and for how long, is a question for the person's own doctor or nurse.
Where can I get a free blood pressure log?
Doctor Carissa's free log is a large-print PDF in US Letter and A4, sent by email: one week with a morning and an evening row each day. The American Heart Association and the CDC each publish a free one-page log as a PDF too.
Does the log show normal blood pressure ranges?
No. It is a blank form for writing readings down. What a reading means for one person is for their own doctor or nurse, and the log has a line for the target their doctor set.
Free printables come with a personal-use license: how you can use a printable.
Sources
We opened and checked every link on October 5, 2026.
- Measuring Your Blood Pressure, CDC. Use a blood pressure log; take your blood pressure at the same time every day; take at least two readings, 1 or 2 minutes apart; talk with your health care team about how often to measure; the checklist for sitting, the cuff and the arm.
- Home Blood Pressure Monitoring, American Heart Association. Each time you measure, take two readings one minute apart and record the results; take a monitor with built-in memory to appointments; talk with your healthcare professional about how often to measure.
- My Blood Pressure Log (PDF), American Heart Association. A free log with a goal line, AM and PM columns, and the instruction to show it to your health care professional at every visit.
- My Blood Pressure Log (PDF), CDC. A free log with morning and evening columns and two readings for each.
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