Usually a nurse checks your blood pressure to make sure it’s not too low or too high before your doctor’s appointment.

But you can also check your readings manually at home. You can use an inflatable cuff similar to those used at your doctor’s office. Or you can use a digital blood pressure monitor with automatic cuff inflation.

Read the directions carefully when measuring your blood pressure. Certain factors can cause a temporary rise in blood pressure.

These factors include:

stress or anxiety
cold temperature
exercise
smoking
caffeine
a full bladder

For a more accurate reading:

Take your blood pressure in a quiet location when you’re calm and relaxed.

Don’t exercise, smoke, or have caffeine 30 minutes before measuring your blood pressure.

It’s best to vary times of day that you take your pressure readings to see the range of your blood pressure.

Complications of high blood pressure

Untreated and uncontrolled high blood pressure can damage your blood vessels and other organs, including your eyes, kidney, heart, and brain.

Complications of hypertension in adults and children include:

heart attack
stroke
aneurysm
heart failure
kidney failure
loss of vision

difficulty thinking or memory problems

If you’re pregnant, high blood pressure complications may be:

preeclampsia (high blood pressure and organ malfunction of the kidney, lungs, liver, or brain)

eclampsia (high blood pressure; organ malfunction of the kidney, lungs, liver, or brain; and seizures)

premature birth

low birth weight

placental abruption (when the placenta separates from the uterine wall before birth)