Why are they saying my blood pressure is OK?

[Astressie]

Just had my blood pressure taken for my HRT review they say. It's 140/84. They say it's absolutely fine although online NHS website says it's high. Last year it was slightly higher and agin they said it was fine. They say it could be a slightly higher reading due anxiety over the check itself, but it's fine. What am I missing? Know I could ring the doctor to discuss but I would like to believe it is OK and dread the thought of going on tablets. I am pretty healthy yoga and dog walks everyday and eat healthily. I get very anxious about doctor's etc , can anyone reassure me? AIBU to just take the nurses' word for it that my blood pressure is OK.

You're not missing anything. That BP is totally and completely normal.

Do you have health anxiety in general? As to get worried over something that normal might indicate anxiety over health.

Lovely BP that OP!

It is fine

They change the parameters so they can put people on meds

My previously low BP is now normal 🤷🏻‍♀️ It causes me issues and I'm told to be glad about it. My elderly mother had major extremes of this problem and had to come off the unnecessary meds.

If i were you I would be grateful to have a sensible surgery.

It's also likely to measure higher at the doc than if you did it at home.

Is it really normal?

I thought it had to be at/ideally under 120/80?

140 would alarm me!

@IMissFrance

Is it really normal?

I thought it had to be at/ideally under 120/80?

140 would alarm me!

That's what they changed

It used to be 140/85 I think. Go back 20 years and it might be 160.

Your BP is fine. It really is. The top figure (systolic) is probably slightly raised above what it would be normally (but still inside the healthy range) due to your health anxiety. When they took your BP they would have noted an elevated heart rate and therefore accounted for that.

That’s really nothing to worry about.

It's almost always higher measured at the doctors, so they're probably assuming that's why it's a bit over. Ideally you want a reading when you're completely relaxed.

Mine hovered for quite a while at the high end of normal, and there's a family history, so my doctor suggested getting my own monitor. That meant I could take it regularly, and then alert the doctor if it did go up. It also meant that I could take several readings, which is much more reliable than just using the one taken at an appointment.

If you look at 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/ you'll see that there's a lot in there that's much easier to do at home than in a 10 minute doctor/nurse appointment. Getting a monitor might help reassure you - unless you're the sort of person who will then start taking it daily and panicking over any individual higher measurement.

Source: I work in Cardiology. That BP is technically high however it's literally just on the borderline of high and we're told not to take a one off measurement as it can fluctuate so much throughout the day. So to properly diagnose BP the Dr should offer a 24hr home monitor which does regular readings and gives a better idea of overall BP throughout the day and night. An alternative is to buy a home BP monitor from a pharmacy and do a couple of readings yourself at home and see what they are. It may well be a one off high reading because you were anxious or stressed but if you are worried I recommend getting it checked out and asking your Dr for a referral for a monitor.

A single reading of 140/84 isn't a concern, but if your BP is consistently over 130/80 then you should talk to your doctor.

If you're young and active, then it's quite possibly an artefact of having your BP measured in a medical setting - some people suffer from "white coat" syndrome and never get a normal reading in a consultation room but have normal BP measured at home.

You could consider getting hold of a monitor (not expensive) and take readings (morning noon and evening) for 3 days. Ideally take 3 consecutive readings a couple of minutes apart. I have mild high BP (controlled by a low dose of medication) and monitor my BP once every month or so.

That is not high, it's within normal range for your age. The 140 is absolutely spot on; don't worry about the 84 instead of 94, honestly, it is miniscule. People walk around perfectly well with blood pressure far higher. When it is 190/100, start worrying.

Eat a healthy diet to keep your cholesterol down and have regular exercise.

It's the bottom number they look at, if it's over 90 it's high.

If they know that you're anxious about it, they'll mentally deduct a few points from the top figure for white coat syndrome.

They will also be able to see that you're anxious because your heart rate will be high. And there are other non-verbal anxiety cues that they look for.

I get white coat syndrome pretty badly; my BP is usually more than 140 in the surgery. (The bottom number stays constant; always 75.) But when I do it at home it's a settled 118 to 122/75.

The health care assistants and nurses who do it are never even remotely troubled by the higher figures -- they just look understandingly at me and go 'anxiety?' and I nod gratefully. And I get my blood pressure checked a couple of times a year (incidentally, for different reasons).

Totally normal. Sounds like a touch of white coat hypertension. Look it up.

Get yourself a bp monitor with upper arm cuff and learn how to use it properly. It's easy, plenty of checklists and tutorials online.

I recommend this

Omron M2 Classic Blood Pressure Monitor
www.argos.co.uk/product/8472960
£35.99 at the moment.

I have one. Is really good. Quiet for a BP monitor, accurate, not too painful on the squeeze, batteries last ages with no degradation in readings when less than new batteries unlike some I have had.

Most hospital appointments, my bp has been taken by the same machine or it's official NHS equivalent one.

Only take a few readings occasionally. That's all you need, maybe a set of three readings, spaced one minute apart, once a fortnight. You may be anxious at first but you will soon calm down and get used to it so be able to relax in order to get a more accurate reading.

I have had high BP for about eight years now. Please don't be too keen to get put on BP meds. The side effects can be atrocious, believe me. Stay the hell away from them for as long as you can.

Not sure why everyone is saying 140 is fine.... Nhs class this as hypertension stage 1
www.heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blood-pressure/understanding-blood-pressure-readings

If my BP goes below 135/80, I feel faint. (I've had fainting falls.)

I'd love to know why.

Please don't be too keen to get put on BP meds. The side effects can be atrocious, believe me. Stay the hell away from them for as long as you can

Ive just been put on meds...if you dont mind could you tell me what side affects were common for you, pm is fine if youd rather keep it away from the thread

And obviously if youd rather not tell a random stranger then i quite understand 😀

140 would alarm me!

The top number is the one that rises if you are anxious or tense.

OP if you are a little concerned, you can buy a monitor before your next check is due at the surgery so you can measure at home now and then when you are likely to be more relaxed. Take it with you to your next appointment though so you can check it against the GP's readings to make sure it's accurate before using though.

thank you for all your replies:
This is copied and pasted from NHS website when I put my reading into it:

Your reading of 140/84 is high. If your GP practice does not already know about this, make an appointment to see either your doctor or nurse in the next month to get it checked.

Known as the "silent killer", high blood pressure rarely has obvious symptoms. But left untreated, it increases your risk of having a heart attack or stroke.

While you may need medication, the good news is you may well be able to lower your blood pressure through lifestyle changes, such as:

losing weight (if you're overweight)
reducing the amount of salt in your diet
exercising regularly
cutting back on alcohol and caffeine

www.nhs.uk/conditions/high-blood-pressure-hypertension/so confusing!!

www.nhs.uk/conditions/high-blood-pressure-hypertension/
so confusing!!

@RufustheSniggeringReindeer. I've been on blood pressure medication for a couple of years due to an underlying kidney problem. I've had absolutely no side affects at all. I imagine it very much depends on how the individual reacts, so please don't worry.

Your GP practice does already know about this, and they have taken into consideration your obvious white coat anxiety about this.

Also, remember things like chatting to the doctor during the reading, or dangling your feet or not resting your arms on (if you were sitting on the examination table perhaps, rather than a chair with your feet on the floor) can cause it to lift a bit too.

I should have made it clear in my last post - if you do get a monitor, make sure it's accurate before testing at home so you don't freak yourself out if it's wrong!

What happens if I haven't got a white coat syndrome. It seems to have been just assumed by them and me. I really don't want to go on blood pressure meds. and don''t really want to think about it anymore had a couple of gynae health scares the last couple of years (absolutely nothing to worry about!!) and want to just switch off from medical stuff.

the reason i don't want to monitor at home is that it all seems a bit arbitrary and faffing about whether it's corrector not. This will also affect my blood pressure.

We actually have a monitor at home but won't touch it. My partner will stress me out if the reading is high!!!!