Either way, it is important that you learn how to take an accurate reading. Why? Monitoring your own blood pressure and heart rate can make you feel more in control of your condition and have more confidence in the treatment you have been given. You can also share this information with your doctor or heart failure nurse. Introduction. Blood pressure is an important indicator of health. Knowing one's blood pressure is the first step to preventing heart disease. Though most physicians take blood pressure using an automatic blood pressure monitor, knowing how to use a manual blood pressure monitor is an important skill for anyone interested in health. Taking Your Blood Pressure. If you purchase a manual or digital blood pressure monitor, follow the instruction booklet carefully. The following steps provide an overview of how to take your blood Blood pressure is the force the blood exerts on the walls of the blood vessels as it's pushed through the body by the heart. Its importance to health is now well-recognised, in that high blood pressure can lead to serious illnesses like strokes, heart disease and kidney disease. The systolic pressure is when the ventricle contracts and the blood is at the peak normally an average adult is around 120mmHg (Marieb & Hoehn 2010). The diastolic pressure is lower within the arteries and always present when the ventricles are at rest and the aortic valve is close. I know this sounds ridiculous, but in nursing school I was able to take manual blood pressures on the dummies at school. Now that I am working on the Cardiac floorI have to take A LOT of manual blood pressures because a lot of my patients are Hyper and Hypo tensive and the machines will not pi Blood pressure can be measured manually or automatically (digitally). A stethoscope and a sphygmomanometer are needed to take blood pressure manually with an aneroid sphygmomanometer. The stethoscope is not necessary when taking blood pressure with an automated digital