After months of my blood pressure being really good, yesterday I had a hospital appointment and, as expected, it was high when the nurse took. However, a couple of hours after getting home I thought I would take it myself fully expecting normal readings, but it was really high 188/99 and then 196/103.
This happened to me before a couple of years ago and I couldn't even bring myself to take my blood pressure for about eighteen months; it just about gave me an anxiety attack looking at the monitor. I even paid for six hypnotherapy sessions, but that didn't help. Eventually I gave myself a good talking to and decided I was being ridiculous and managed to get it back to normal readings again and it has been like that for many months. I do tend to take it far too often though, almost daily.
My high blood pressure readings are driven by my fear that they will be high, which I know sounds crazy.
Am I the only person who suffers from this weird fixation with blood pressure monitoring.
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Twitchen
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I’ve seen comments like yours time and time again, though mainly on the “high blood pressure” forum within Health Unlocked. You are not alone.
Several suggestions come to mind, the first of which is to look at the website of Blood Pressure UK, the specialist charity.
I used to go to the doctors surgery and take the readings there myself, so it wasn’t too frequent. Then the pharmacist (this was during Covid) said I must buy a machine and I told her I’d be fixated on it. She said “diary note, once per month” and I’ve stuck to that. You might say to yourself “every Friday afternoon at 3 pm” or whatever.
I expect you take your pressure after sitting down quietly for ten minutes (cuff on) close your eyes, three slow breaths and start the machine. If the first reading is high, throw it away and take two more. If you don’t want to look at the readings, ask a friend to sit with you and write down the results without you looking. This takes the “pressure” off your mind.
I always take my blood pressure when I come downstairs in the morning. I find that if I take it in the afternoon it is invariably higher than the morning. When do you think is the best time to take it?
I get very compulsive about it and generally take it every day, which I know is far too often. Of course that is apart from the eighteen months when I could barely look at it without having a panic attack, in fact my husband put it away so I couldn’t even see it.
On Sunday morning my last reading was 127/81, but then yesterday it all went haywire. Surely if you have high blood pressure, wouldn’t it be high all of the time?
Blood pressure is very dependent on the primitive part of your nervous system.
you know already that if you do an activity where you are breathing more heavily, such as walking faster, your blood pressure would be up. Otherwise you wouldn’t be able to complete the activity.
So, if you are sitting quietly reading a book and suddenly think “I’ve left my glasses upstairs I must go and get them” then your pressure will go up increase BEFORE you’ve stood up. Because your brain knows that your blood has to be pumped round faster. That could well be a reason why it’s up and down.
So, to be consistent, you must relax for a consistent time before taking a reading.
I can relate to this to some extent, however my readings are not that high when I am stressed. The problem with BP is that you can have it with no real symptoms, hence hard to tell if it is going on or not. Can't you get a continuous monitor somehow ? It might give a better average reading as opposed to a spot 'spike' if that makes sense. Maybe it is not that high after all. Who knows?
Agree with other posters. I was also told rest and no eating or drinking for 30 mins before hand and take 3 readings, ignore the first.Blood pressure naturally fluctuates with activity and anxiety. I'm 80 and mine was 200/90 last time I went to cardiology out patients. I always take a weeks reading with me ( much lower) and cardiologist not concerned. When I had cataracts done ditto and they said they wouldn't take it again as the stress would make it higher.
I'm a bit like you re obsessing and try to avoid taking mine if stressed as know it will be up.
I've recently had high readings and put it down to losing my lovely hubby 3 months ago.I was told to take it 2 times a day for 2 weeks.Well it remains quite high but now less than it was .I have got a bit obsessed with it tbh but this weekend machine is going away as I'm having a trip to France alone to visit my daughter so navigating an airport and a plane is bound to increase it.Hopefully once I'm there it will be chilled and no cooking for a week yay.
I felt exactly the same about my blood pressure monitor…..after I got some high readings (my BP wasn’t being managed very well, my arteries were getting blocked and I ended up getting a triple bypass) I panicked just looking at it.
Of course, that made my BP go up even more and I once called 111 because I was convinced I was going to have a stroke or heart attack.
The person I spoke to told me not to worry (my readings were very similar to yours) because BP is ‘just a number’. If you have no symptoms such as a headache, blurred vision etc there is no immediate cause for concern. No need to rush off to A&E!
That said, high BP is not good but once it’s managed properly you will start to get 'normal' readings, you’ll relax and your BP monitor won’t be so scary.
Judging by the number of people with smart watches continually monitoring them, I would say there is an obsession, which in turn comes from, and feeds on, anxiety.
You have a variety of ailments so no doubt take a variety of medications, any of which, individually or combined, might impact on your blood pressure. Might be useful to ask your pharmacist how they feel about their impact.
Whilst the hospital reading was high and no doubt was higher than it should have been due to your anxiety, it does seem as if your BP does fluctuate so you need to get to the bottom of that. Did the hospital comment on them?
It might be useful to take yours for a week at home. Firstly is your own BP monitor working properly? Do you take BP correctly when at home? That includes the monitor being at the right height, being in a warm room, relaxing for 5 minutes beforehand and taking 2 or 3 readings with a gap of 1 minute. Ideally one in the morning when you get up and before food, drink etc. Another late afternoon before dinner is useful, as the morning will likely be different to the afternoon.
Armed with that taken each day for a week you will have some proper information.
It would also be useful to keep a health diary detailing food, drink, exercise, any other activities and the times of these, including when you take your various medicines, so you can cross relate this to your readings.
You might find its say coffee or a pastry that spikes your BP or after a strenuous walk or after taking a particular pill, but at least you will have solid information and if the readings are still all over the place then a GP appointment armed with your data seems in order.
I am on BP tablets and my nurse said when I take it if it’s over 140 for two days running to ring the surgery. Also to sit quietly for 10 minutes. Take 3 readings and use the middle reading.
I only take my BP at home 2 or 3 times a week. If I concentrate on more readings or dwell on it it goes high.
Medical staff often talk about ‘white coat fever’. That is to say the patient faced with a blood pressure and/or pulse readings gets tressed about it and, in consequence both rise. I have HF and AFib and take three beta blockers. I’ve always had relatively low BP but now it’s even lower on average.
For instance I have a medical appointment last week and, as the nurse prepared to take my blood pressure, I mentioned that it was likely to be low. It was 87 over 62, quite normal for me. On Monday of this week, I had a Llonghi term condition review. The healthcare assistant produced the BP monitor, I went through my standard chat and lo and behold, the reading was 113/68.
It has been suggested to me that I get a BP monitor to use at home but, I don’t see why. My BP is either low or normal. What is it telling me that I don’t know. In addition, I know that I could become really obsessed with it. Further, one of the friends who insisted that I get a monitor sat that it would tell me if I was developing another heart problem. He recently developed HF without any warning at all!
Have a chat with you GP. Maybe they will put your mind at rest.
I had (have) very similar situation, the fear of taking it and getting a high reading was making everything worse and it became obsessive. After plenty of research I bought the Aktiia bracelet which you synch once monthly with a cuff then leave it to it. This gave me much more consistent and lower (for me) readings, still up and down but averaged out they were acceptable, because I didn’t know when it was taking a measurement it took away the anxiety - it only takes them while you are at rest. It cost me about £180 but was worth every penny for the anxiety relief it gave me. They were running trials last month including free device but not sure if still running.. hope you get a solution one way or another
Oh no 😂. Currently in Cyprus and been having a few probs - BP had gone very low and feeling odd again - dropped the Ramipril and better - since ablation for AFib in Dec 23 I believe this has actually had an impact to my BP and it’s lower than it was- Ramipril now bringing it far too low - wish the hell the medics would kindly impart the most basic info to us commoners on the medication we’re issued for life and without review
I had similar at home and was on 7.5mg and this had been upped to help kidneys. Started feeling faint and can’t function like that so went to GP - told to reduce to 5mg / I stopped completely as had to know what was the cause and within a day it stopped. Started the Ramipril and came straight back so stopped and only took 2.5mg 2 times a week for a couple of weeks then started 2.5mg again and no probs so guessing 2.5mg is also too high when you add the heat in / be making an appt when I get back
No one really explains blood pressure to patients, they’re just told to get it below 120, every time I have to visit the hospital, doctors surgery etc. my blood pressure heads off to 220 / 100+, but when I get home and take it, it’s normal again, I now take with me the reading that I took and show it to the nurse / doctor, online I found that BP can get to that level, especially with athletes etc. and as long as it returns to normal in a reasonable time that’s OK, high BP long term is the one that causes harm, I also find that if I don’t take my BP regularly, the machine itself causes high BP, as you said you’re expecting a high reading and the anxiety causes that to happen, in my case taking my BP every day works for me.
As I have a few health issues so may need to see doctors urgently I try to keep a record of BP. I have white coat syndrome, I resent the need to see medical professionals but know I need to, so my BP goes really high. It is more of an accurate record of what is happening day to day. In all honesty it's a bit of a chore, but provides valuable information.I was told to sit quietly for 10 mins, take 2 or 3 readings and use the average.
White coat syndrome is such a documented fact that the tolerance for BP readings taken in medical settings such as a doctor's surgery are higher than normally advised. My partner and I both warn anyone taking our pressures in such conditions that a high reading will show, and actually take with us a week's home readings to avoid being referred to the GP as a result.If there seems to be a problem our GP is happy to accept a 2-week chart of BP and HR taken twice daily, once in the morning and once in the afternoon, then they take an average reading for that period. It is actually easier for us to make this a daily habit in case of unexpected trips to hospital or GP.
Sitting quietly and comfortably before the reading should help, with the first reading, which can tend to be high, ignored in favour of a second one taken a few minutes later. Afternoon readings are usually lower, so by doing regular morning and afternoon readings you can see a general trend. This trend is far more important than a random reading or two, which can be unrepresentative, which is why a regular BP reading history is so useful. A continuous high BP can be causing physical damage without producing symptoms, so it is helpful to stay on top of the situation by regular monitoring. This is not obsessive, nor an obsession, but can simply become a routine like brushing one's teeth.
I have what they call white coat syndrome, lol so my BP is always higher than normal at my Dr appts, when at home it runs high 90s/low100s to high 50s/low60s because of all of my heart meds. My Dr doesnt seem to be worried about it, as long as I monitor it at home and its staying regular.
If I get a high reading I worry about the next one being high so of course it is. I've learned to just ignore it and I don't check unless I'm asked to. I recently got concerned that mine was increasing so I decided to do a week of readings for my GP. The first several days were indeed high but I had a bad virus so I waited a couple of weeks and lo and behold the average was lower than normal. My GP was delighted. Anxiety or just expecting a high reading will certainly put it up.
Thank you all so much for your feedback, greatly appreciated.
The only medication I take is a relatively small amount of thyroxine for under active thyroid, which I have been on for many years.
With me it is all about fear of the monitor, the cuff inflating and what the reading will be. Totally ridiculous I know, but I can’t help it.
I always go through the process of sitting quietly for a few minutes before taking it and doing three readings with a minute between each one. Can’t understand why if I take it in the afternoon it is so much higher than in the morning.
I was tempted to take a reading this morning but bottled out, just couldn’t face it and the thought of it made me feel very anxious.
Once I can face it and get a reasonable reading, I will feel better.
After my eighteen month break from taking it and normality resumed, I did a whole month of doing morning and afternoon readings and wrote them down - that was in May/June.
I just get far too fixated on it and must come across as some kind of nutcase.
Sorry to hear you are having these issues. I do myself and they are very tricky to deal with. You have a lot of good advice on here which I won't repeat but wish you well because I know how stressful this can be. Take care
Thank you, I am my own worst enemy because I simply take it far too often and always expect to get a good reading. When I have had these very high readings, I worry that it is like that all the time, so it really is a vicious circle. Perhaps I should just go on BP medication and that would resolve it. My OH says if only the GP could prescribe a placebo that I thought was BP medication, it would probably work admirably.
I have problems with my blood pressure readings every time I visit the cardiology dept so I must get the same anxiety you're describing. I now warn them in advance. It usually improves when I'm back home.
My GP has been telling me for years I have high blood pressure to which I always reply 'no I havent'.It always goes through the roof when done under medical supervision. White Coat Syndrome I think they call it.
I insisted twice that I have a 24 HR blood pressure monitor on and each time the results have come back fine.
Bought my own monitor now because the GP has stressed me out that much. I now do my own readings and take them with me when I know I'm about to have one done in a medical facility
I’ve always check my blood pressure about once a week or so, just to make sure it’s ok. About 4 weeks ago, my heart was jumping around a bit, when I’d just woken up, so I took my blood pressure and it was 180/90. It had never been that high before, so I rang111 for advice and they said I had to go to A&E. They were very good there and gave me something that brought it down. It happened again a few days later, but came down without treatment. I was given some BP tablets to take if it stayed high for more than 1 day and they put me back on my Sotalol tablets. I had an ablation a year ago and was told to stop taking Sotalol and I had been doing that very slowly and had got down from 80 mg twice daily to 20 mg. They think that might have caused it. Anyway, the Drs said I’ve to take my BP twice a day for a few weeks, till I go to see the GP in a few days time. I must admit, I’ve been very anxious when I’ve been doing it, so I know exactly how you feel. If you read about it, it will tell you that your BP goes up and down all the time. If you sit down for a while and breathe in and out slowly and stay calm, before you take it. hopefully you’ll get a good reading. My average weekly readings have been round about 133/65.I have to take 2 readings in the morning and 2 in the afternoon/ evening and I usually do it 3 times and ignore the first reading, as it always is a bit higher and I just record the other 2. At the end of the week, you have to take the average readings and put that at the bottom of the sheet. I will ask the GP if he thinks the high BP could have been caused by reducing my Sotalol tablets. The replies from other people on here are very much like mine. Useful to know that.
Took it today for the first time since the very high readings and although I tried to be calm and relaxed, I could feel my chest tightening as the cuff inflated. Sure enough the result was very high again. It is driven by my fear of it being high and thus is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Once I can get my head in the right place and not be so stressed and anxious, it will be okay, but I am struggling to get there. As I said, last time it took me eighteen months.
"White Coats Syndrone", that's what the nurses call it when they tell you about it! It's all in the mind, when you go to the surgery/hospital for your blood test, as soon as you see the nurse/doctor going to take your pressure - your BP goes up, hence the name!
After my stents I got a home monitor and used it morning noon and night and in betweens! I just had to know how my BP was is various modes. After a while, this settled down as I knew what to expect, now its almost daily sometimes every other day, just to keep me aware of whats happening during activities and meds effects and changes.
There are some very useful utube videos on "how to" and "best time" to videos (made by GPs) on this topic.
Funnily enough white coat syndrome is something that never affected me until a few years ago, but now it definitely does. In fact I sometimes take photos of what my BP was at home, just to prove that it is normally okay.
I have had a home BP monitor for years and have always taken it far too often. Trouble is that now I can get high ones at home as well, which sends me into a spiral of panic.
I just have to get my head in the right place and hopefully all will be well again.
Just to update, blood pressure stayed high and so I contacted GP surgery. I really wanted to have a face to face conversation, but all I got was a brief phone call saying I will be prescribed Amlodipine 5mg. Have been reading lots about this drug and now feel quite scared about taking it.
Does anyone have experience of this drug? Could really do with hearing something positive about it.
I have been taking 5mg Amlodipine for the past week, but for the past few days have been suffering from terrible upset stomachs and feeling the need to "go" just about all the time.
I am a bit alarmed by this because I can't see it in the common side effects of this drug.
I am wondering if I should cut the pills in half as they do have a line across them, thus reducing the dose to 2.5mg and see if that helps.
Undoubtedly the doctor would say that I haven't given it long enough for my body to get used to it, but I can't be like this at work.
Has anyone else had an upset stomach on this drug and, if so, did you continue to take it?
I have been going along quite happily without medication for weeks taking my BP in the morning and it has been normal, so I thought all was well. However, although I know it is usually higher if I take it in the afternoon, I wasn’t prepared for today’s readings. This morning 127/77, this afternoon 192/101. I just don’t understand how there can be such a variation. I am now feeling really stressed and know there will be no point in taking it tomorrow morning. I just wish I hadn’t done it. I suppose I will have to try and contact a doctor again and ask for a new medication.
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