Blood Pressure Monitoring

[FoxLee2]

I have to take blood pressure readings, 3 times, morning and evening for 4 days and then record the lowest reading on a form. Of the 3, sometimes it's the upper reading that's lowest and sometimes it's the lower reading so which measurement is more important. Last evening's readings were 140/73: 124/74: 114/76.  Should I record the middle one?

 

[Vagus]

Mine is always higher in the surgery too, dear old Sqad didn't believe in white coat syndrome but it definitely exists.

Im not a medical person but I too think your blood pressure looks fine 😊

[FoxLee2]

I saw a nurse at the surgery and she was a jolly, friendly woman and wasn't wearing a white coat!!

[ladybirder]

Vagus I did believe in it as my BP was always higher at the surgery than at home.  Then I started sitting quietly for a while after my walk there and faffing about checking in etc.  After having a rest plus not chatting to people my BP would generally then be the same as it was at home.

[Toorak]

If I have to monitor BP I am asked to take two readings am and pm and submit both results. In practice I take one reading then ignore it and record the following two: just the need to measure my BP makes it high!

[Barsel]

Ladybirder @22.41. There have been times I've reached the surgery and been called in without even sitting down.

I've gone in the room and they've said, 'Right, let's check your blood pressure' and as you can imagine, it was high.

Any tips I can offer for you FoxLee would be, to make sure you are fully relaxed and taking some nice deep breaths.

Stay nice and calm with no talking, close your eyes and think you are relaxing on a lovely beach somewhere.

This might be difficult to do if you are at the doctors, but try to relax as much as you can.

If you were to take the average of those 3 readings it would be 126/74 which is nearest to the second reading.