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Having a blood pressure test doesn't have any risks to your health. The squeezing of an inflated blood pressure cuff on your arm may be uncomfortable, but it should last only a few seconds.

Occasionally a few tiny red spots (petechia) appear after the test just below the location of the cuff, especially if you are taking anti-platelet drugs.

No special preparations are needed for a blood pressure test. You might want to wear a short-sleeved shirt to your appointment so that the nurse or technician doing your blood pressure test has easy access to your arm to perform the test. However, if the main reason for your doctor's appointment is to check for or monitor high blood pressure, you should use the toilet before your test to empty your bladder, and avoid eating, drinking caffeinated beverages and smoking for one hour before your test.

Because some medications — such as over-the-counter cold medicines, antidepressants, birth control pills and others — can affect your blood pressure, it's a good idea to take a list of medications and supplements you use to your doctor's appointment. Don't stop taking any prescription medications that you think may affect your blood pressure without your doctor's advice.

During the procedure

Having a blood pressure test is often a routine part of a medical appointment. The test may be performed by a nurse or technician.

The test is performed best while you're seated in a chair in the examining room. Your arm should be supported, resting on a table at heart level, both feet flat on the floor and back supported by the chair.

Your health care provider will wrap an inflatable cuff around the top part of your arm so that the bottom of the cuff is just above your elbow. The cuff is attached to a dial, digital display or a device that looks similar to a thermometer. This equipment is called a sphygmomanometer (sfig-moe-muh-NOM-uh-tur).

Throughout the test, you should try not to talk or move your arm. The nurse or technician will feel the pulse at your wrist and then take a reading with the sphygmomanometer, checking for when the pulse is felt as the air deflates from the cuff. This is so he or she can figure out how much air to pump into the cuff to accurately measure your blood pressure.

Once a pulse from an artery is found and the stethoscope is positioned above the elbow, so the nurse or technician will hear the blood flow, he or she will begin inflating the cuff with a small hand pump. The nurse or technician will inflate the cuff to momentarily stop the blood flow through the artery in your arm.

Then the nurse or technician will open a valve on the hand pump to slowly release the air in the cuff. He or she will continue to listen to your pulse with a stethoscope to record your systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Systolic pressure — the top number of your blood pressure reading — is the pressure of the blood flow when your heart muscle contracts. Diastolic pressure — the bottom number of your blood pressure reading — is the pressure measured between heartbeats. Blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury, which is abbreviated mm Hg.

It's also possible your blood pressure will be measured using a machine that automatically measures your pulse to figure out your systolic and diastolic blood pressure. If this is the case, it's not necessary for the nurse or technician to search for your pulse with a stethoscope.

Whether your blood pressure is measured manually or with an automatic machine, it takes about a minute to complete a single blood pressure measurement.

After the procedure

The nurse or technician taking your blood pressure can tell you what your blood pressure is immediately after the test is over. Your doctor may discuss what the results mean if your blood pressure test shows that you have high or low blood pressure.

If your doctor thinks you may have high or low blood pressure and is trying to decide the best treatment options for you, you may need to have two or three follow-up appointments to have your blood pressure checked. This is because your blood pressure can vary from moment to moment and day to day. Also for this reason, you may be given multiple blood pressure tests during one visit. Your doctor will look at the results of each of your blood pressure tests to see if you need treatment. You may also be instructed to take several blood pressure readings at home.

Tracking your blood pressure readings

It can be helpful in diagnosing or monitoring high blood pressure if you record your readings in a blood pressure log, whether on paper or electronically, such as in an online personal health record or blood pressure tracker, for example. This gives you the option of sharing your data with your health care providers and family members. Some blood pressure monitors can be connected directly to your computer, making it easy to transfer the information to an online record.