Jojy Cheriyan MD,MPH-May 7, 2014

Hypertension or high blood pressure is the leading cause of heart attack and stroke. It is a very common and dangerous condition that affects 67 million people in the U.S., ie., one in three U.S adults. High Blood Pressure is a silent killer, because it comes without any warning signs and symptoms. But the good news is that you can take steps to prevent high blood pressure or you can control it, if it is already high.

You can measure your blood pressure (BP) at home or at your health care provider's office. But measuring blood pressure should be done properly, which most people, even health care professionals, do not take seriously. There are certain steps you need to follow prior to measuring BP, to get accurate reading.

1.  Make sure your feet are flat on the floor, and legs are uncrossed.

2.  Make sure your arm and back are properly supported.

3.  Make sure you can comfortably remain still.

4.  Your arm should be bare, and the sphygmomanometer cuff on the skin, not over any clothing.

5.  You should remain silent for at least 3 minutes prior to the measurement and should not speak while BP is measured.

If you talk during measurement or if your feet are not flat on the floor (or not flat on the foot rest of examination table when you are in a clinic), there is a chance that your BP measurement will give a falsely high reading.

If you feel that your health care provider (doctor or nurse) is not doing the measurement properly, tell them openly of your concern. You have every right to do so.

The common problems that account for inaccurate BP measurement are given in the table below.