8/12/2019 Checking Your Blood Pressure

1/3

Checking Your Blood Pressure

When Should I Check my Blood Pressure?

Follow your doctor's instructions for when and how often to check your blood pressure.

Keep in mind that certain factors can cause blood pressure to temporarily rise. Bloodpressure normally rises as a result of:

Stress Smoking Cold temperatures Exercise Caffeine Certain drugs

Avoid any of these factors that you can when taking your blood pressure. Also trymeasuring blood pressure at about the same time each day.

How Do I Take my Blood Pressure?

Before taking your blood pressure:

Find a quiet place. (You will need to listen for your heartbeat.) Roll up the sleeve on your left arm or remove any tight-

sleeved clothing, if needed. (It's best to take blood pressurefrom the left arm, if possible.)

Rest in a chair next to a table for five to 10 minutes. (Your leftarm should rest comfortably at heart level.)

Sit up straight with your back against the chair, legsuncrossed.

Rest your forearm on the table with the palm of your handfacing up.

Taking Your Blood Pressure

If you purchase a manual or digital blood pressure monitor, follow the instructionbooklet carefully. The following steps provide an overview of how to take your bloodpressure using either a manual or digital blood pressure monitor.

1. Locate your pulse

Locate your pulse by lightly pressing your index and middle fingers slightly to the insidecenter of the bend of the elbow. Here you can feel the pulse of the brachial artery. Ifyou cannot locate a pulse, place the head of the stethoscope (on a manual monitor) orthe arm cuff (on a digital monitor) in the same general area.

2. Secure the cuff

A. Thread the cuff end through the metal loop and slide the cuff onto your arm, makingsure that the stethoscope head is over the artery. (When using a manual monitor, the

8/12/2019 Checking Your Blood Pressure

2/3

cuff may be marked with an arrow to show the location of the stethoscope head.) Thelower edge of the cuff should be about 1 inch above the bend of your elbow. Use the

Velcro wrap to make the cuff snug, but not too tight.

B. Place the stethoscope in your ears. Tilt the earpiece slightly forward to get the bestsound.

3. Inflate and deflate the cuff

If you are using a manual monitor:

A. Hold the pressure gauge in your left hand and the bulb in your right.

B. Close the airflow valve on the bulb by turning the screw clockwise.

C. Inflate the cuff by squeezing the bulb with your right hand. You may hear your pulsein the stethoscope.

D. Watch the gauge. Keep inflating the cuff until the gauge reads about 30 points (mmHg) above your expected systolic pressure. At this point, you should not hear your pulsein the stethoscope.

E. Keeping your eyes on the gauge, slowly release the pressure in the cuff by openingthe airflow valve counter clockwise. The gauge should fall only two to three points witheach heartbeat. (You may need to practice turning the valve slowly.)

F. Listen carefully for the first pulse beat. As soon as you hear it, note the reading onthe gauge. This reading is your systolic pressure.

G. Continue to slowly deflate the cuff.

H. Listen carefully until the sound disappears. As soon as you can no longer hear yourpulse beat, note the reading on the gauge. This reading is your diastolic pressure.

I. Allow the cuff to completely deflate.

IMPORTANT:If you released the pressure too quickly or could not hear your pulse DONOT inflate the cuff right away. Wait one minute before repeating the measurement.Start by reapplying the cuff.

If you are using a digital monitor:

A. Hold the bulb in your right hand.

B. Press the power button. All display symbols should appear briefly, followed by a zero.This indicates that the monitor is ready.

C. Inflate the cuff by squeezing the bulb with your right hand. If you have a monitorwith automatic cuff inflation, press the start button.

D. Watch the gauge. Keep inflating the cuff until the gauge reads about 30 points (mmHg) above your expected systolic pressure.

E. Sit quietly and watch the monitor.

F. Pressure readings will be displayed on the screen. For some devices, values mayappear on the left, then on the right. Most devices will also display your pulse rate.

8/12/2019 Checking Your Blood Pressure

3/3

G. Wait for a long beep. This means that the measurement is complete. Note thepressures on the display screen. Systolic pressure appears on the left and diastolicpressure on the right. Your pulse rate may also be displayed in between or after thisreading.

H. Allow the cuff to deflate.

IMPORTANT:If you did not get an accurate reading, DO NOT inflate the cuff rightaway. Wait one minute before repeating the measurement. Start by reapplying the cuff.

4. Record your blood pressure.

Record the date, time, and systolic and diastolic pressures.