Establishing Your Blood Pressure Baseline

You want to lower your blood pressure. You start eating less sodium, exercising more, sleeping better—all at once. A month later, your BP is 8 points lower. But which changes actually helped?

Without a baseline, you can't answer that question. Without knowing where you started—and with what input patterns—you can't know what's working.

Establishing a baseline isn't just measuring your BP once. It's understanding your current patterns before you try to change them.

What a Baseline Actually Is

More Than a Single Number

Your baseline isn't "138/88."

Your baseline is:

• Your average BP under consistent conditions over 2-4 weeks
• Your daily and weekly patterns
• Your current input patterns
• How your BP varies naturally

Why It Matters

Without baseline:

• You can't measure progress
• You don't know what's "normal" for you
• You can't identify which changes helped
• You can't tell variation from real change

With baseline:

• Progress is measurable
• You recognize unusual readings
• Changes can be attributed to specific inputs
• You can make data-driven decisions

Key Insight: Establishing baseline is the first step in any input-based tracking approach. Observe before you intervene.

How to Establish BP Baseline

The 2-Week Baseline Protocol

Daily for 14 days:

1. Measure BP under consistent conditions

   • Same time daily
   • Same circumstances
   • Proper technique

2. Take 2-3 readings, average them

3. Log the reading

4. Track your inputs as you normally live

   • Don't change behaviors
   • Just observe and record

What to Track During Baseline

Blood pressure:

• Systolic/diastolic
• Pulse
• Time of measurement

Inputs (observe, don't change):

• Sleep quality and timing
• Stress level
• Sodium intake (Low/Normal/High)
• Alcohol (number of drinks)
• Exercise (yes/no, type)
• Caffeine (amount)

Context:

• Rushed morning? Note it
• Unusual stress? Note it
• Ate differently? Note it

Calculating Your Baseline

After 14 Days

Overall baseline:

• Add all readings
• Divide by number of readings
• This is your baseline average

Example:

• 14 days of readings averaging 136/86
• With range from 128/80 to 148/92
• Weekly average: Week 1 = 134/84, Week 2 = 138/88

Understanding Your Pattern

Look at your baseline data:

Daily variation: How much do readings vary day to day?

Weekly pattern: Higher on certain days (e.g., Monday after weekend)?

Time pattern: Morning vs. evening differences?

Input correlations: Even in baseline, do patterns emerge?

What "Normal Variation" Looks Like

During baseline, you'll see:

• 5-10 point day-to-day variation (normal)
• Some outlier readings (normal)
• Slight weekly patterns (common)

This helps you distinguish normal variation from real changes later.

Baseline Input Patterns

Why Track Inputs During Baseline

Your current BP is the result of current inputs. Documenting those inputs tells you:

• What's producing your current BP
• Where obvious improvements exist
• What "normal" looks like for your lifestyle

Example Baseline Input Summary

After 2 weeks, you might find:

• Average bedtime: 11:30pm
• Sleep quality: 3/5 average
• Sodium: High 4 days, Normal 10 days
• Exercise: 3 days with intentional movement
• Stress: Average rating 3.2/5
• Alcohol: 6 drinks total over 2 weeks

This is your starting point. Now you know what to potentially change.

Common Baseline Findings

"My BP Is Higher Than I Thought"

What it means: Previous occasional measurements may have been at better moments

What to do: This is valuable information. Now you know your actual baseline.

"My BP Varies a Lot"

What it means: Could be measurement inconsistency, sensitivity to inputs, or normal variation

What to do: Ensure measurement consistency. Look for patterns. May reveal which inputs affect you most.

"My Inputs Are Worse Than I Thought"

What it means: Tracking reveals reality. Late bedtimes, high sodium, low movement often surprise people.

What to do: This is why baseline matters. Now you have specific targets.

"I Already See Correlations"

What it means: Even in baseline, patterns may emerge (e.g., higher readings after poor sleep)

What to do: Note these. They'll be hypotheses to test later.

What NOT to Do During Baseline

Don't Change Behaviors

Wrong: "I'm tracking, so I'll eat better this week"

Right: Live your normal life. Baseline should reflect your CURRENT patterns.

Don't Cherry-Pick Readings

Wrong: "That reading was high because I was stressed. I won't count it."

Right: Log everything. Context notes explain variation.

Don't Analyze Daily

Wrong: Obsessing over each reading

Right: Collect data for 2 weeks, then analyze patterns

Don't Start Interventions Yet

Wrong: "My BP was high yesterday, I'll skip salt today"

Right: Wait until baseline is complete before making changes

After Baseline: What's Next

Analyze Your Data

• Calculate overall average
• Note range and variation
• Identify patterns
• Look at input correlations

Plan Interventions

Based on baseline:

• Which inputs seem correlated with higher BP?
• Which inputs are obvious targets (poor sleep, high sodium)?
• What ONE thing will you change first?

Track During Intervention

• Continue same measurement protocol
• Track the input you're changing
• Compare to baseline after 2-4 weeks

Example Progression

Baseline: Average BP 136/88, average bedtime 11:45pm, sleep quality 2.8/5

Intervention: Move bedtime to 10:45pm for 3 weeks

After intervention: Average BP 130/84, sleep quality 3.6/5

Conclusion: Sleep improvement lowered my BP 6/4 points

Long-Term Use of Baseline

Re-Baselining

Periodically re-establish baseline:

• After major life changes
• Seasonally (BP varies with seasons)
• When patterns seem to have shifted
• Before trying new interventions

Baseline as Reference

Your baseline becomes:

• The benchmark for progress
• The context for unusual readings
• The return point after disruptions

Updating Understanding

As you learn your patterns, baseline understanding deepens:

• "My normal range is 125-140/78-88"
• "Stress weeks run 10 points higher"
• "Summer baseline is lower than winter"

The Bottom Line

Establishing baseline means:

1. Tracking BP consistently for 2+ weeks
2. Tracking inputs without changing them
3. Calculating averages and patterns
4. Understanding your current state
5. Having a reference for measuring progress

Don't skip this step. Without baseline, you're guessing. With baseline, you're measuring.

Next Steps

• Read: Finding Your Blood Pressure Correlations
• Read: Consistent BP Readings: When and How to Measure
• Read: Beyond Blood Pressure Numbers: Track What Drives Them
• Do: 2 weeks of baseline tracking before changing anything
• Analyze: Calculate your averages and identify patterns
• Plan: Based on baseline, decide your first intervention

Baseline first. Intervention second. Progress measured. That's evidence-based BP management.

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Last updated: January 2026