Things You'll Need:
- A relaxed environment
- BP cuff or machine
- Stethoscope if necessary (some automatic BP machines have this built in)
- A pad and pen to chart your blood pressure by date, time of day and how you were feeling
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Step 1
Cuff size does matter to obtain an accurate reading.The blood pressure cuff size is important. If the cuff is too small it may produce a false HIGH BP. If the cuff is too large it may produce a false LOW BP.
Blood pressure cuffs should fit around your arm with 80 percent of the bladder (the balloon-like structure that inflates the cuff) filling the circumference of your arm. -
Step 2
Place the blood pressure cuff snugly (but not constricting) on the upper arm. Feel for the brachial artery which runs along the inside of the arm on the little finger side. The brachial artery should pulsate.
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Step 3
Place the stethoscope on top of the brachial artery and then inflate the cuff.
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Step 4
As you slowly release the inflated cuff you will hear sounds of the heart. The first sound you hear is the systolic (contracting) portion of the BP. The second sound you hear is the diastolic (relaxing) portion of the BP. A BP reading is expressed as the systolic over diastolic pressure. For example: 120/80.
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Step 5
Keep careful records of your BP. Blood pressure readings can vary for many reasons such as laying flat to standing up. Do NOT expect your blood pressure to be exactly the same numbers all the time.
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Step 6
If your are satisfied that you have taken the BP correctly, simply take off the cuff and place your equipment in a safe place.
