Change your lifestyle with weight loss , exercise , and dietary adjustments. Essential hypertension is controllable with proper treatment. It requires lifelong monitoring, and treatment may require adjustments periodically. Call your health care provider if you have hypertension and symptoms develop. A sphygmomanometer is used to measure blood pressure, and is the most accurate method.
Blood pressure is measured against the height of a column of mercury.
This is the most accurate method because it can only be made inaccurate by changing the gravitational constant of the earth.