Gather a manual blood pressure cuff, a stethoscope, and a chair with a back support
Have the person sit quietly for 5 minutes with feet flat on the floor and legs uncrossed
Rest the arm on a table so the upper arm is at heart level
Remove tight clothing from the upper arm
Select the correct cuff size for the arm
Wrap the cuff snugly around the upper arm with the artery marker over the brachial artery
Place the stethoscope earpieces in your ears
Position the stethoscope bell or diaphragm over the brachial artery in the inner elbow
Close the valve on the inflation bulb
Inflate the cuff until the pulse disappears, then inflate 20 to 30 mmHg more
Slowly release the valve and deflate the cuff at about 2 to 3 mmHg per second
Listen for the first tapping sound and note the pressure as systolic
Continue listening until the sounds disappear and note the pressure as diastolic
Record the blood pressure as systolic over diastolic in mmHg
Repeat the measurement after 1 to 2 minutes if needed
Use the average of repeated readings if multiple measurements are taken