Does anyone know anything about at home blood pressure tests

[StressingOutFestival]

Pls help. I've been asked at the GP to take my blood pressure at home over 7 days. They said the instructions are all in the box.

They aren't.

I'm sure she said test 3 times between 6am and 10 am and then at night, but I can't remember it all and at what intervals.

Also, last week I went for a medical and they said my blood pressure was fine. The first reading was a bit high, and they did it again and it was fine. Yesterday my GP took my blood pressure for something else and it was 140/80 and said it was high and gave me this monitor. This has been a reoccurring thing sine my 20's....you have high blood pressure, then no you don't. A couple of times I have been told I have low blood pressure! Can't win.

I did it this morning and it was 140/80, so I did it again and it was 153/90.

I'm stressing out. I could literally hear my heart pounding in my chest when I was doing it.

Anyone know the correct way to take the tests and any tips to relax? I'd call my GP but I doubt I'll get thru!

Sit down for 10 minutes on dinning room chair

put cuff on arm and sit still and take test

repeat

put cuff on other arm and repeat

nite all 3 readings

dont take bp if you’ve just come back from the gym

Put the cuff on (& not too tight, just enough) and then sit in silence & breathe in for 4, hold for 2 and out for 6. Do this for a couple of minutes, then do the test. Long out breaths are a way of calming the heart.

www.bloodpressureuk.org/your-blood-pressure/how-to-lower-your-blood-pressure/monitoring-your-blood-pressure-at-home/how-to-measure-your-blood-pressure-at-home/

This is what I’ve been doing since I was in my twenties (now thirties). This is what my gp and cardiologist suggest is the best way to get the most accurate reading .
You may have white coats syndrome when your bp rises when you’re stressed at gp or getting tests done. If you feel your readings are high then they might ask for you to get a 24 hour monitor which might make it easier as you don’t need to worry about doing the test yourself, it does it for you and you carry on your day as normal.

Do not eat or drink half hour before a reading.

Ensure your arm is level with your heart. Use e.g. Table mats if anything. Too low a position will give a falsely high reading.

It depends what age you are. I am 60 and 135 over 85 is ok for example.

If the cuff is too tight this also raises the reading.

HiddenVoice, I had one of those 24 hour ones a few years ago when I had a tightening of the chest and went to A&E. It was menopausal palpitations in the end. The results were very positive in that I had a very healthy heart etc.

I just did the test after doing the breathing and it was 135/94m

So it was 140/90. then 153/90 (got stressed out about first reading) and now it is 135/94

I am one of those people who gets dead stressed out about anything medical. I don't have health anxiety when I go in to the doctor, but have it on the way out.

Did you have a blood pressure cuff or a heart trace for 24 hours?

A heart trace

Oh, and don't talk or move around as you do it. Just sit relaxed reading. Were you told to cut out salt, tobacco or caffeine? They raise blood pressure. Good luck.

Take each reading 3x , disregard the first and record the lowest.

Do it every day and you should become less anxious about it.

Sit quietly,both feet on the floor,arm on the table with hand upturned. Rest between each reading. Make sure you have the correct cuff size for your arm.

You're making me smile because you're reminding me of my dad. He has white coat hypertension.

So he got a home blood pressure kit. He'd set it to go off randomly, put it on, lie down on the bed and listen to some relaxing music.
And he'd feel calm and relaxed.
Then the cuff would start inflating and he'd say he could feel his blood pressure shooting up as it did so. 🤣

Basically he found the more he could distract himself, while lying down the better, and take several readings; the first was always high so he learnt not to look at any of the readings until the end, otherwise he'd panic the first was high and it would not come down.

he'd panic the first was high and it would not come down

That's me 😅

I'm off to my yoga class now. Shame I can't stop half way through and test it.

I think you’re getting wound up about this as the more reading you do the more it fluctuates

id take the machine to bed tonight

in the morning before you get out of bed, take your blood pressure, just relaxed sat in bed

It’s good your heart is healthy but a blood pressure monitor for 24 hours works the same way but only monitors your pressure.

Yeah, they’re quite simple. Sit down and relax, and then take it.