What happens during a blood pressure test?
A blood pressure test includes the following steps:
You will sit in a chair with your feet flat on the floor.
You will rest your arm on a table or other surface, so your arm is level with your heart. You may be asked to roll up your sleeve.
Your provider will wrap a blood pressure cuff around your arm. A blood pressure cuff is a strap-like device. It should fit snugly around your upper arm, with the bottom edge placed just above your elbow.
Your provider will inflate the blood pressure cuff using a small hand pump or by pressing a button on an automated device.
Your provider will measure the pressure manually (by hand) or with an automated device.
    
If manually, he or she will place a stethoscope over the major artery in your upper arm to listen to the blood flow and pulse as the cuff inflates and deflates.
If using an automated device, the blood pressure cuff automatically inflates, deflates, and measures pressure.
As the blood pressure cuff inflates, you'll feel it tighten around your arm.
Your provider will then open a valve on the cuff to slowly release air from it. As the cuff deflates, blood pressure will fall.
As the pressure falls, a measurement is taken when the sound of blood pulsing is first heard. This is the systolic pressure.
As the air continues to be let out, the blood pulsing sound will start to go away. When it completely stops, another measurement is taken. This is the diastolic pressure.
This test only takes about one minute to complete.
