Hi all, does anyone have any tips on controlling blood pressure when taking readings? I have always suffered with a form of white coat syndrome but recently can even get it with home readings. I had major heart surgery about 3 months ago and my blood pressure medication was reduced as my readings were really good. But I think this was because I had a constant monitor on and so wasn't getting anxious each time it took a reading. I was in hospital again about 6 weeks ago, again with a constant monitor and again the readings were good. But either side of this whenever I have visited the doctor or hospital just for appointments and check ups, the readings have been sky high! So now I need to take a weeks readings at home, but I can already feel myself getting anxious about the thought of doing these. Has anyone got any tips to calm the anxiety and get my head in a space where I am ok with it. I have no problem with my medication increasing again, but I would like it to based on accurate readings, if that makes sense. Thanks in advance
Help - white coat syndrome and high b... - British Heart Fou...
Help - white coat syndrome and high blood pressure
Do breathing exercises like breathing in for 4 seconds then out for 8 before taking the reading. Sit down for 5 minutes before taking the reading also. So you can be as relaxed as possible.
as JHutton says.
Also, make sure you have plenty of water so your blood isn’t “sticky” - if it’s sticky it makes things harder for your cardiovascular system to push the b,old through so the pressure goes up.
Additionally, have you someone who could take your pressure for you? Call her A.
Ask A to be present when you have your rest for five or ten minutes before taking the readings, making sure you are sitting comfortably with the cuff on. A then tells you to close your eyes and take three slow breaths and she inflates the cuff. Neither of you talk.
She writes down the reading. You rest a minute and take two more. A decides that the first one is high but the next two are better, so she writes down the average of the two better ones.
Then at the same time each day, roughly, you do the same.
The fact that you don’t know the result should really bring your readings down.
Though even closing your eyes, breathing calmly, can do it too!
Thank you, very good advice
My wife also does the 3 readings in a row (though she does them herself).
My cardiac rehab nurse had me wear the 24-hour monitor.
(Yes, we both have white coat syndrome. 😑 )
it’s called anxiety , your heart rate and bp are heightened when your anxious.
If you look into how to take your blood pressure correctly you'll realise that it's very unlikely that any reading at the GP surgery will reflect a true reading. Firstly you should have an empty bladder (it stimulates the vagus nerve), you should be sitting rested for 20 mins, have your legs uncrossed and comfortably on the ground and use the left arm. And, importantly, you shouldn't talk and your arm should rest on a table in front of you, not hang at your side. A lot of things to get right. I know that to get to my surgery, I walk for 10 mins, then climb a steep slope (which makes me breathless), then the nurse or GP takes my blood pressure with my arm hanging down and they chat with me. Needless to say, the readings I get at home are far better. It's not that the GP doesn't know how to get a good reading, it's just that the conditions don't allow. They do understand this and that's why they suggest people take their recordings at home. It's not all down to white coat syndrome, sometimes it's just because too many of the ideal conditions are missing.
I definitely have white coat syndrome and it isnt because conditions are not ideal. I wore a cuff on my arm for 24 hours and it went off every 20 minutes and hourly at night. I could be walking, talking, cooking - very rarely was I sitting comfortably with my arm in the right position and the logs showed ideal blood pressure but every single nurse or doctor taking it has got high readings.z
When I take my own reading I sit at the table in the correct position with my cuff on, I read a book or magazine, something that I'm actually interested in, for an absolute minimum of 5 minutes but normally 10, press the button and continue to read, you can continue to read after the reading for another 5 or 10 minutes then press the button again, best not to look at the first one until both are finished. Once you've been doing that for a few days your anxiety over your BP will reduce and you'll get a good reading with a single test. This worked very well for me.
I have had white coat syndrome for many years. My GP recognised that and after checking at the surgery that my machine was reading similar to his, he asked me to take all my readings at home. Bizarrely, my BP goes up when I go to the GP surgery, but not to my dentist!
I sit for a few minutes before taking my readings, always with the cuff on ready to take the reading. I have found reading helpful to occuoy my mind and a magazine with pictures of things that I like (in my case mountains, birds and steam engines 😁) is a useful distraction.
Thank you all so much. Some absolutely excellent advice that I will definitely be trying 🤞😊
I also have white coat syndrome.When attending the stroke clinic it showed as 198/98.However I did take my previous readings with me.My monitor has an app. Easier said than done but do try to relax.If I had £1 for every BP reading I would be very rich but I still forget how to take a home reading.
Relax using deep breathing if necessary.Take 3 measurements 2 mins apart , discard first & take average of the 2 remaining.
Try watching TV while doing them.
As already said sit and relax for 5 to 10 minutes beforehand. Do breathing exercises. Lowest of 3 readings as well, I normally wait for my machine to turn itself off in between each reading.
Me too! frustrating, isn't it? Even at home I can feel anxiety kick in when the machine starts up. I think the torture of wearing a cuff for 24 hours made it much worse! This guy has some great advice and I've found the elbow pressure point really works in short space of time - youtu.be/_tZJDTcZEek?si=UiK...
I also suffer WCS and my blood pressure is always higher in a doctors office or hospital and normal away from that king of environment so honestly I just accept that .
I go and lay on the bed, with the radio on, just lie there for about 10mins, then take a reading. Leave it a couple of minutes then take it again. Repeat. The first reading is usually higher, so I disregard that one.Having the radio on helps clear my head and calms me (a bit).
Yes I do this too. Also do it first thing in the morning when I've just woken up. You probably get your lowest possible reading then, as you're nice and relaxed.
I have found that breathing exercises don't help me much. What does help me is to put the cuff on, then start reading on the PC. What you read can be e-mails, including Health Unlocked or news stories, so long as they don't wind you up, or anything else that you are interested in. After you have been doing this for 5 minutes, turn the monitor on and carry on reading your PC or phone while you take the readings to distract yourself from what you are doing. I always take 3 readings and take the mean average for each of the three parameters. I think different things work for different people, so a bit of experimentation by you will be needed to find out what is best for you.
I find putting the cuff on but not taking the reading immediately. Then sitting for five or ten minutes reading or similar helps me. I work on my breathing to relax.
White coat syndrome - welcome to the club! As far home readings are concerned, my GP disregards the first couple of days because they are higher than the rest. What I do is do something to distract your mind so that you are not 100% concentrating on the monitor. I always sit in an armchair with my arm resting on the arm of the chair. Yes, I know they say sit at a table, but that makes it even more obvious what I am going to do. I read - not the news!! , do an online jigsaw, sudoku, even plan my meals for the next day. It helps me, and might be worth a try for you.
I was far worse with a constant 24 hour home monitor. The darn thing made a noise every time it started and instantly i went into alert mode and my BP shot up. I'm far better with my own. I too have white coat syndrome. I have to make sure they don't take my BP straight away, especially after i've driven there.
AT home I put my monitor on well in advance, sit down and relax. I make sure i'm reading or absorbed in TV before I Press the button and my arm is at heart height. I take 3 readings 10 minutes apart and choose the lowest one. That way I'm not messing about finding teh monitor, fitting it and worrying. I'm simply pressing a button and watching TV. Don't drink or eat before doing it.
I get the same, my BP if taken at the surgery, hospital etc. is 200+ / 110+, no idea why, I now take my BP at home before the appointment and hand it to the GP or nurse, I used to get high BP readings at home until I started taking it at the same time every day, once I was used to the routine my BP settled back to normal, also don’t look at the reading as you’re taking it, I found that I was expecting a high reading and a high reading is what I got.
I love this site because the feedback is so constructive, helpful and empathetic. Thank you all, I really do feel better about giving it a go now. So thanks again 😊
I can equate to this as I have the same problem. Had a funny turn a couple of weeks ago and when I took my B.P. it was 180 top no. G P. took it and the same. Have monitored it for a week and it's ok. I find taking three deep breaths before taking it helps to relax me.
I always take 3 reading,as I find the first one is always high. And I don't relax as I just sat down..
If you don't want to take 3, try 2. But I find sitting for a couple of minutes, in silence does help the reading. And if you take before the tablets, it will be high.
You could always take I in the morning and one in the afternoon.
I have WCS. However I recently had a minor accident, went to A and E they took my b.p. Was sky high, they took it again 1 hour later, still sky high. Eventually got the wound stitched, different doctor. I refused b.p. on the automatic machine … he used a manual… me with my eyes closed, in case it was still high. I asked the reading, he said perfectly normal !! then told me to always request b.p. on a manual machine. He said on the manual, he listened very carefully then stopped it .. he then checked again this time not listening, but let it find it’s own level, it just went high. He explained … there are people where an automatic machine cannot operate. However using a manual, you have to listen carefully and interpret those results. When he explained, I was so relieved, it helped me understand so much. ….. As a bit of useless information … I am 94 years, have a pacemaker, and had a TAVI … 5 years ago. I only explain the above, if it possibly helps a person, to understand the vagaries of automatic b.p. machines !!
Thank you
At the recommendation of my GP I go to one of the Walk In Centres to have my BP checked. You can do this while on a shopping trip and it can be less stressful.
I’ve been in the same position. This is going to sound crazy, but this worked for me when my BP would go higher just worrying about taking a reading. I started watching about 10-15 minutes of Bob Ross - The Joy of Painting on YouTube right before. He’s the calmest person and puts you in a happy and relaxing place. My BP would go down every time. Good luck 👍
I always fit the cuff and take some slow breaths for five minutes or so before attaching the monitor. In my case, attaching the cuff seems to raise the blood pressure so I wrestle with it first and then calm down before I begin taking readings.
So echoing my own WCS experience and so good to know we are not alone ! for me just looking at the monitor made it go up but after referral to a cardiologist who did a 2 week ecg chest monitor he put it down to significant anxiety as other symptoms ok and advised GP not to keep taking it and adding meds and therefore pushing it up. Ive found all the advice on this page really helpful , especially sitting with the cuff on and watching or reading something else before taking it.. Good luck !
The trouble with anxiety, white coat or otherwise, is it's an automatic response. That is, we don't go through a reasoning process to get to the conclusion. If you can figure out why you are anxious, scared of what it means if the results are high, or low or just weird for example, then perhaps you can learn to think of the tests differently. What if they confirm all is well, for example.
This won't work for everyone, depends how you're wired. It's a simple CBT technique that helps some. As others have suggested, distraction can also work for much the same reason.
Hope you manage to reduce your stress levels, however you do it.
Paul
I have the same problem with white coat syndrome. Before taking home readings, I sit in a comfortable chair with a straight back and feet flat on the floor. Prepare the BP monitor and arm cuff. Try to relax by closing my eyes, empty my mind of anxious thoughts and think of a relaxing situation, (i.e. watching waves on a calm sea, or lying on a solitary beach in the sun), or anything nice calms and relaxes me. Do this for at least five minutes, then take the first reading. Relax again for at least three minutes, and then take a second reading and relax for a least three minutes again, then take third reading. It always works for me. I hope this helps in some way.
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