When President Donald Trump's longtime lawyer Michael Cohen was led away in handcuffs from his home to the courthouse in lower Manhattan, you can bet his blood pressure (BP) was a bit high. But that's what happens when you lie to Congress.

Well, if you have a home blood pressure monitor and measure your BP around your wrist, chances are good your numbers are going to lie too. That's what researchers at the University of Tasmania found recently.

Although there are many devices that measure BP in the fingertips and around the wrist, those researchers and the American Heart Association (AHA) recommends that you only use a brachial cuff around your upper arm (like the device in your doctor's office) to get an accurate reading.

The AHA has a few other tips for home monitoring:

• Don't smoke, drink caffeinated beverages, or exercise for 30 minutes before measuring your BP.

• Sit with your back straight and supported (on a dining chair, rather than a sofa) with feet flat on the floor; don't cross your legs.

• Take multiple readings; record the results. Each time you measure, take two or three readings, one minute apart.

• Don't take your measurements over clothing.

Then do whatever it takes — blood pressure pills, eating salmon and nuts, jumping rope, stress management, alcohol and tobacco cessation — to get your BP to 115/75.

It will reduce your risk of a disabling stroke or heart attack by more than 80%.