Why Does Blood Pressure Change Throughout The Day

Walking 20 feet can raise systolic blood pressure by 10 to 15 points. Your stress level, how tight your shoelaces are, what you had for breakfast, and how well you slept last night can all change your blood pressure, too...my cardiologist should read this article - he usually finds my BP 15 to 25 points higher than when I take it at home and starts talking about increasing medication - I've finally got him trained to accept the log I keep and take in to show him as being closer to the truth than measurements in the office - for awhile anyhow.....

my cardiologist should read this article - he usually finds my BP 15 to 25 points higher than when I take it at home and starts talking about increasing medication - I've finally got him trained to accept the log I keep and take in to show him as being closer to the truth than measurements in the office - for awhile anyhow.....

When I go get my physical my doc takes my BP. I have the same damn machine at my house (which I use daily) and it is ALWAYS higher at his office. Always has me scratching my head.

I don't trust any of the machines - so I have three of them of various descriptions which I use randomly - they're usually more closely in agreement with each other than with what I get from the doctor's office....

The instructions that came with each were all pretty strict in describing how readings should be taken - sitting upright in a chair, feet flat on the floor, arm resting on a table, cuff at heart level, no noise or talking, no eating or exercise within a half hour of taking the BP - but in the doc's office I'm slouched on an examining table, my arm dangling often unsupported at my side, the tech usually talking away while taking the reading, lately they've taken to putting the cuff right over the sleeve of my shirt rather than bothering to have me roll it up so they can use my bare arm for the reading - when I've complained about the disparity of readings in the office and at home, they usually laughingly mention the well-known "White Coat Syndrome" which acknowledges that many people show higher BP's in doctors' offices because of nervousness about being examined - all in all the whole blood pressure thing seems almost a joke to many I've encountered at the doctor's - until they start talking about raising my medication dosages to control the elevated pressures I probably wouldn't have if I weren't there to begin with.....

Know what you mean. I have two at the house and they are always in agreement. Like I said they are the exact ones the Dr uses and his are always higher. But yeah. I am slouched in a chair and arm dangling. Sometimes I wonder if the Dr’s is rigged to show higher than normal to push pills............. I don’t know. I do know this. The machines at the house always get my heart rate spot on versus when I do the heart rate measurement the old fashion way. So I assume the BP reading is correct.

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