How to Measure Blood Pressure in 6 Easy Steps

Your blood pressure rate is one of the most accurate signifiers of your heart's health. A regular checkup with your physician always includes a blood pressure reading, and if your doctor finds a need to monitor your BP regularly, he will advise you to do it in the comfort of your own home so that you do not have to visit the clinic everyday.

For BP rates to be meaningful, they have to be accurate. There are several digital BP monitoring devices that are sold for home use, and for this, you hardly have to exert an effort except when you place the cuff around your arm. However, if you are using a manual BP monitor with a sphygmomanometer and a stethoscope, you have to practice the process until you master it. Here is how to measure blood pressure manually:

1. It is important that you are relaxed at least a good five minutes before taking your BP rate. Sit at a table and let the tabletop support your arm so that it is at a height level to your heart.

2. Wrap the cuff securely around your upper arm, but make sure that it is not too tight so you can still two fingers between the cuff and the skin. If you are using a device that requires you to set the systolic level for the cuff, set it at 20mmHg above the last reading. For instance, if the last reading was 150/100, set the systolic level to 170mmHG.

3. With the stethoscope placed over the brachial artery or just above the elbow fold, inflate the cuff until you no longer hear a pulse. That means blood has already been cut off from the blood vessels found in your upper arm. Continue inflating the cuff a little bit more.

4. Slowly release the air in by turning the valve on the rubber hand bulb and listen to a swooshing or pounding sound. The pressure at the time the sound occurs indicates your heart's systolic blood pressure, or the pressure it exerts when pumping out blood to the arteries.

5. Continue releasing the air from the cuff. When the sound stops, the pressure indicates your heart's diastolic pressure, or the pressure it exerts in between heartbeats. This is the lowest blood pressure level your heart exerts.

6. Repeat the process and measure your blood pressure two more times, with a rest time of two minutes in between each. This ensures that you have a more or less accurate reading. If the differences in the readings are more than 5mmHg, you should take the average of the three readings.

When you first buy a home monitoring device, try to take your reading by using the device on both arms. The arm that gives you the higher reading should be used for the next readings later on. Also, you may disregard the first few readings as using a new device for the first time may cause some anxiety that can raise your BP.