Learn how to take a blood pressure reading if you or someone close to you has been diagnosed with blood pressure issues and you may spot problems before they become life threatening. When you measure blood pressure through taking a reading, you are evaluating how well blood is flowing through your veins and arteries. You are recording the systolic pressure and diastolic pressure, both of which are related to how well your body recovers after the blood pressure cuff stops the blood flow for a few seconds. This reading allows you to determine how much pressure is being applied to the walls of your arteries and veins as your blood flows through your blood vessels.

Systolic Pressure
The systolic pressure is the amount of pressure experienced inside your blood vessels when your heart pumps your blood. It is always recorded as the first number in the fraction expressing your blood pressure. Optimal systolic blood pressure readings are under 120.

Diastolic Pressure
The diastolic pressure is the amount of pressure experienced inside your blood vessels when your heart is at rest. It is recorded as the second, or bottom number in the fraction expressing your blood pressure. Optimal diastolic blood pressure readings are under 80.

1. How to Measure Blood Pressure
2. Ask someone to help take your blood pressure reading.
3. Sit down and relax for a moment. You want to take your resting blood pressure rate.
4. Roll up your sleeve. Expose your upper arm. Clothing can get in the way of a proper reading.
5. Place the cuff on your upper arm, turning it such that you can read the gauge easily.
6. Raise your arm to heart level. Ask someone to hold your arm up for you so you can relax throughout the reading.
7. Find the brachial artery. It is in the crook of your elbow. Place the stethoscope on this spot. Have the person assisting you place the ear buds of the stethoscope into his ears and listen for your brachial pulse.
8. Ask the person helping you to close the valve on the cuff and squeeze the bulb until the gauge reads 180.
9. Open the valve so the cuff slowly deflates by 5mmHg/second. Have the person listening to your brachial pulse note when he hears the sounds of turbulence referred to as the Karotkoff sound and also when the sounds dissipate. The beginning of the Karotkoff sound indicates the systolic number, and the end of the sound indicates the diastolic number. Hopefully your numbers will be under 120/80. See your doctor if you have concerning blood pressure readings.