blood pressure

[ripper1]

I'm sure this thread has been around but I am pretty much in the white coat syndrome when it comes to having my blood pressure tested at a doctors office. What I find interesting is that I have read that blood pressure in the morning when one wakes up is usually higher and then lower in the evening when tested before one goes to bed. For me my readings in the morning are lower and in range but when I take it at night it is sky high. I don't know what gives. Anybody else fit this dilemna.

 

[Alan]

I measure my BP everyday at home but am not too good at doing it the same time every day, however I do record the time and results on a spreadsheet. I can see no correlation between the time of day and the bp results. The high number is usually between 130 and 150 while the low number is usually between 70 and 90 but rarely >90. It has been like that for years and I’ve discussed it with my doctor in the US and here in England. Their view is to keep monitoring and maintain a healthy lifestyle which is fine by me, I don’t want to be on drugs if I don’t have to be.

Just taken it now for the for the first time today at 16:45 and it is 133/73 after recently coming in from a 3 mile walk.

 

[ripper1]

I also do aerobics and find my bp to be excellent afterward. And generally pretty good in the morning overall but for some reason it is like 175/95 sometimes right before bed. It's pretty frustrating. I think I may have some kind of mental block that I am doomed to a highter reading at night.

 

[MRG]

What does sky high mean?

 

[Cobra9777]

Mine is always high in the morning (~135/85) and lower in the evening (~120/75). I take my blood pressure medication in the morning. And yes, it's always high in the doctor's office. I always bring him a printout of my spreadsheet. He's happy with that data and is unconcerned about the day-vs-night range.

 

[ripper1]

What does sky high mean?

For me for some odd reason it is in the low 130/80's in morning and then can go as high as 175/95 at night. Doesn't make sense to me but it must be something mental...not sure.

 

[97guns]

Around 140/90 in the morning and 120/75 in the afternoon on, I googled why and it has something to do with sleep patterns

 

[cbo111]

My average in the morning with no workout prior is ~135/85.
My average in the morning 30 minutes after a moderate workout ~126/78.
Not sure if that means working out makes me healthier, but there is a definite short term correlation to lower bp after exercise.

 

[O2Bfree]

I've noticed my BP is lower when I haven't eaten. Like last week when I had a doctor appointment in the morning, and didn't have breakfast first (but did drink coffee), it was 90/62 at the doctor's office. I usually measure it in the evening, and typically it's in the 10X to 11X/6X range.

 

[LOL!]

My BP is low in the morning before I've eaten anything. This morning: 96/56. Whenever I get up, I sit up first, then I make sure to hold onto the wardrobe as I stand up.

It is also low after bike riding and I've sweated alot. During exercise, it is higher because my heart is pumping hard which I think stretches out my arteries, so when I've relaxed about 30 minutes after exercise like right now, BP is 111/67.

Other times of the day, BP is about about 120/70.

 

[oldtrig]

I would visit a doctor and tell him. I think you need B/P meds. Those last numbers are too high. Cheers

 

[Lsbcal]

I would visit a doctor and tell him. I think you need B/P meds. Those last numbers are too high. Cheers

If you are saying 120/70 is too high? I don't think so.

 

[LOL!]

For me for some odd reason it is in the low 130/80's in morning and then can go as high as 175/95 at night. Doesn't make sense to me but it must be something mental...not sure.

I think the "high" refers to 175/95. I don't think this is mental. Get it checked out by a physician.

It is well known that people try to come up with one-time low numbers and then rationalize that they are OK, when they are not.

 

[Lsbcal]

The recommendation I have read is that you should have been awake for an hour and wait 1/2 hour after you eat. Sit quietly for 10 minutes. Also make sure your arm is at heart level. Sit in chair with back support and both feet flat on floor. Do not speak or move.

The Doc said to check at various times during the day. They want your BP to be reasonable all day. So take maybe one reading at different times each day.

I've been checking this out recently. What I find for myself:

1) BP is elevated when dressed but before breakfast.
2) BP is more normal after breakfast (taken 1 hour after breakfast)
3) BP is elevated if I drink 2 cup measures of strong coffee with breakfast
4) BP is OK with 1 to 1.5 cup measures of strong coffee with breakfast

I used to drink up to 3 cup measures of coffee.

 

[John Galt III]

Sometimes my blood pressure spikes up to 170 / 95 ish, which is alarming. I take my bp readings at the drug store test machines, and I think they are accurate. Usually, though, the bp is around 128 / 85. A good thing ( I guess) is that whenever I take my bp after having anywhere from one to four beers, the bp is nice and low, as in 117 / 75 and sometimes even lower than that. I haven't nailed down any particular cause for the high bp incidents. My bp is almost always a bit high at the doctor's office, like 140 / 90. White coat syndrome, perhaps. I don't want to go an any meds. The term for my 'condition' is 'episodic hypertension'. My doctor isn't suggesting any meds (but then I haven't told him about the high occasional bp readings).

 

[oldtrig]

I will tell everyone what I went though on this issue. I had the same type reading when I was in my 50's. I ignored it and told myself it was not a problem.

I argued with doctors telling them it was only high when I would come in. That was not the case I found out later.

The high reading I had did damage to my Kidneys and probably caused the peripheral arterial disease I now have.

With medication for the last 10 years my B/P is now under control. No side effects which I know many wonder about, especially men

I will be 71 this year and my blood pressure is always normal.

 

[oldtrig]

If you are saying 120/70 is too high? I don't think so.

I was replying to the ripper1. He never said his B/P was 120/70 so what did I miss here.

 

[eytonxav]

ripper, perhaps you are watching too much evening news What beverages/foods/snacks do you consume during the day and early evening. Possibly too much caffein or salt?

My pressure is always pretty good < 120/80, but it does hit its lowest numbers at night.

 

[Lsbcal]

I was replying to the ripper1. He never said his B/P was 120/70 so what did I miss here.

Yes, sorry about that. Your reply appeared right after LOL's post so I thought it was referring to that one.

And I agree with your advice to ripper1.

 

[Z3Dreamer]

I have read a lot on Blood Pressure and I am not happy with many who give advice on this one. Yes, when I weighed a whole lot more and was not exercising, my BP was 140/90. Now that I am improving, my average reading on my $69 Omron is 120/80. This is over about 100 readings in 1 - 2 years.

Seems like every medical provider has a BP test machine and wants to use it. Example: Went to have a root canal. My BP was 160/95. They did their "OMG" routine. I said "You didn't expect it to be this high right before a root canal?"

One time some idiot took my BP and it was 120/80. She gave me a sad look about my high BP. I commented that 120/80 was normal. She said the new standards were to be below 120/80 and I needed to lower that. It took much will power for me to keep my mouth shut.

I believe there are people with untreated hypertension. They need to do something about that. But, I believe that we are going towards putting everyone on BP meds, just in case, regardless of BP. I am not in favor of this.

Thank you for allowing me to rant.

 

[kramer]

The main trend I noticed for my readings is that it is lower after exercise. My readings don't have the wide range that some seem to have here ... more like a top number range of 20 max with an average in the high 130's. (so +/- 10 around that number and usually within 5) And a lower number range of much less.

 

[LOL!]

But, I believe that we are going towards putting everyone on BP meds, just in case, regardless of BP. I am not in favor of this.

Thank you for allowing me to rant.

There seem to be a lot of good foods that will lower one's BP.

 

[Proteus126]

I went to the podiatrist 10 days ago for something minor, and they checked my BP. The nurse asked me if I had high blood pressure. I didn't see the reading. I told her that I didn't think so (age 47, in decent shape, never go to the doc). She let me relax for 5 minutes and took it again. 140/95. I ask "is that bad"? She said it is high. I suspected that I was just nervous being "evaluated" since I hate visiting doctors.

Well, that freaked me out some. I researched high BP, ordered a $30 machine off Amazon that got good reviews (CareTouch), and scheduled an appointment with my wife's GP for a physical. So I'll actually have a GP now. The appointment is in 2 weeks.

At first using the machine I was reading 130s/82, which is a whole lot better than what I got in the doc's office, but still high on the systolic. Since then the readings have come down to 120/80. The machine seems pretty consistent, and accurately measured my wife's enviably low BP the one time I used it on her.

I did reduce sodium intake and focused a little more on cardio when I work out. It has only been 10 days. Was 119/81 yesterday. I'm guessing that most of the drop was due to losing any nervousness using and waiting for an answer from the device. Cutting the salt was probably worth 5 points as well. I think I'm gonna live. And now I'm going to visit my GP routinely like an adult.

 

[ripper1]

ripper, perhaps you are watching too much evening news What beverages/foods/snacks do you consume during the day and early evening. Possibly too much caffein or salt?

My pressure is always pretty good < 120/80, but it does hit its lowest numbers at night.

Lo and behold I took a measurement last night around 2 hours before bedtime. I just sat down and told myself to relax and a few deep breaths. I recorded a 147/90. While maybe still a little high I saw on a chart for 60-64 year olds that that was at a high end normal.

 

[Lsbcal]

Lo and behold I took a measurement last night around 2 hours before bedtime. I just sat down and told myself to relax and a few deep breaths. I recorded a 147/90. While maybe still a little high I saw on a chart for 60-64 year olds that that was at a high end normal.

You are just plain wrong on this conclusion. Perhaps you are looking at some old chart?

See this recent Harvard Health article: https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/new-high-blood-pressure-guidelines-2017111712756

Stage 1 high blood pressure (a diagnosis of hypertension) is now between 130 and 139 systolic or between 80 and 89 diastolic (the bottom number).

Stage 2 high blood pressure is now over 140 systolic or 90 diastolic.