How to Take Blood Pressure Manually (with Pictures)

If you want to manually take someone’s blood pressure, wrap the cuff around their arm and slide the head of your stethoscope under the cuff so you can hear their pulse, then rapidly squeeze the pump bulb until you no longer hear the sound of their pulse. Open the airflow valve to deflate the cuff gradually, then note the measurement on the gauge at the precise moment you hear the heartbeat again. This is the systolic reading. Next, note the measurement on the gauge at the moment you stop hearing the heartbeat. This measurement is your diastolic reading. For tips from our medical reviewer on how to take your own blood pressure, keep reading!