Surprise! Maybe you don’t have high blood pressure!

Youalready know that keeping your blood pressure in check (ideally less than 120/80) cuts your risk of heart disease and stroke. What you may not know? Making a few tiny tweaks before strapping on a blood pressure cuff can make a huge difference in the reading you get—so much so that if your numbers are above normal lately, you may not actually have hypertension! To ensure your reading is precise:

Empty your bladder!

Your blood pressure is lower when your bladder is empty, and rises as your bladder gradually fills. In fact, according to the journal Hypertension, a full bladder can increase blood pressure as much as 15 mmhg!

Chill out!

Physical activity tends to boost your blood pressure, so sit and relax for three to five minutes before checking your pressure.

Sit comfortably!

Make sure your back is supported and your feet are flat on the floor. Having an unsupported back may boost your diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) 6 mmhg; and dangling your legs can raise your systolic blood pressure (the top number) up to 8 mmhg.

Adjust your arms!

Be sure to rest your lower arm on a flat surface at heart level with your elbow slightly bent and your arm almost fully extended. Blood pressure readings taken on an arm that is dangling can be up to 10% higher.

Curb conversation!

Chatting with the nurse or anyone else can increase your systolic blood pressure 10 to 15 mmhg!

Request three readings!

Blood pressure measurements depend on several factors, so measuring it just once at any one sitting may not be enough. “We do know from many studies that the first measurement is usually higher than subsequent measurements, so if you have an elevated reading it would be worthwhile to have a second and a third reading within the same checkup,” says Donna Arnett, PH.D., dean of the College of Public Health at the University of Kentucky. Wait at least one minute between each reading.