This article was co-authored by Laura Marusinec, MD. If the blood pressure cuff was too loose or too tight on your arm or too large or too small for your size, the readings could be inaccurate. 2. Checking your blood flow, systolic pressure, and diastolic pressure are highly important to your health. The person might feel a little uncomfortable, but the step is short and important. Sit down and open the blood pressure testing kit. First, place the cuff around the bare and stretch out upper arm. It may also be a good idea to take readings in different positions: standing up, sitting and lying down (possibly having someone do it for you there). Alternatively, you can switch the cuff to the other arm and repeat the process again. This is a cuff which is made of inflatable rubber and can be wrapped around the arm. She received her M.D. In this way, when you bend your elbow, it will be parallel with the heart. of Health and Human Services, {"smallUrl":"https:\/\/www.wikihow.com\/images\/thumb\/1\/16\/Check-Your-Blood-Pressure-with-a-Sphygmomanometer-Step-5-Version-2.jpg\/v4-460px-Check-Your-Blood-Pressure-with-a-Sphygmomanometer-Step-5-Version-2.jpg","bigUrl":"\/images\/thumb\/1\/16\/Check-Your-Blood-Pressure-with-a-Sphygmomanometer-Step-5-Version-2.jpg\/aid10713-v4-728px-Check-Your-Blood-Pressure-with-a-Sphygmomanometer-Step-5-Version-2.jpg","smallWidth":460,"smallHeight":345,"bigWidth":728,"bigHeight":546,"licensing":"