Is this BP reading very bad?

[IneedtheeohIneedtheeeveryhourIneedthee]

153/105
Took it again 3 mins later and it was 137/103.

I only took it as it was my mum's new machine and she wanted to make sure it was working...
I repeated it on the old machine and the difference was negligible. Not good is it...

I am fit, a normal weight, non smoker and athlete, early 30s. But I am incredibly stressed due to a very traumatic event which happened just under a year ago.

I have had awful problems sleeping, get a lot of headaches and get a bit dizzy but thought that was just stress...

I don't know much about these things. Should I be worried?

Bp is high . Maybe check it again tomorrow when you can have time relaxing. My BP is high if I am stressed and normally after zoning out it is ok. If consistently high then contact GP .

https://www.nhs.uk/health-assessment-tools/check-your-blood-pressure-reading

My readings were similar to this over a period of a couple of months and after monitoring at home for a wk the Dr called me in for blood tests, ECG and urine sample. Long story short nothing appeared to be causing my blood pressure to be raised but I am now taking medication to keep it under control. I felt disheartened that at age 45 I had to start taking medication that I would be on for the rest of my life. But after just a month of taking it and another week of monitoring and more blood tests they tell me my blood pressure is within normal range now. The kicker is having to pay for the prescriptions forever.

Do get it checked out as they told me risk of stroke, heart attack and even dementia is increased with high blood pressure and it only gets worse as u get older.

Just to add too that I felt fine before and have felt no different since taking medication. Also I’m 15 years older than u but even for peace of mind get it checked out x

Go the doctors. Put your blood pressure on the online form asking for an appointment. High blood pressure has no symptoms and can be serious. It’s the diastolic (systolic/diastolic) that is the serious one, and yours is high. Make a note of which arm you checked also. If you can try your other arm also- a difference in blood pressures taken at the same time in different arms can highlight if there is a different problem with your heart.

It's high and worth a chat with the GP.

I went in for an unrelated issue one day and my BP was 225 over I've got no idea as I was way too shocked - it was always 120/80. Dr didn't believe me until he read back through my history ( been at the practise around 30 years and my normal Dr always checks BP). Now medicated and under control.

BP taken on your right arm will be higher than the left arm but should be in the same ball park.

ETA I normally take 3 readings. My BP machine connects to my phone and keeps a log which records average BP from multiple readings. Really handy to send to the Dr. I find the first reading is always a little elevated compared to the next two.

NICE guidelines say 140/85 or less at home.
Do it twice a day for a week, record it all and make a GP appt with them.
Practice nurse.

Very high. Make an appointment with your doctor asap.

Book a gp appointment and tell them why on the phone. Buy a machine to do reads at home for a week. I took my BP reading randomly one night when I was at home had always been low so ignored it for years id just been on the phone to my older brother who had said his was slightly high. Mine was 180 over 120. Ended up with a paramedic at the house checking I hadn’t had a stroke. I’m on BP medication now for 2 years, I’m mid 50s, I’ve also a slight issue with my heart caused by it being high for too long. I’m in reasonable shape otherwise. It’s still not normal but it’s lower. I was starting to feel dizzy and get headaches when I tested it.

Medication can usually treat this very well. Much, much better to know this now and treat it.

For some reason people worry about blood pressure meds but the alternative can be absolutely terrible.

In my case it was because the symptom that got me there was swollen ankles - and a weeks worth of BP readings was something over 94....
They offered me a medication where the most common side effect is swollen ankles.
A week or so after the blood test results came through I didn't feel well one evening and BP was something over 110.
I'm now on another type of drug and after a full week on it the pharmacist is going to ring me (A service offered by them because it's a new medication)
and after 2 weeks the GP wants a weeks worth of BP readings again. And then my 3 week blood test to check it's not killing me is at 4 weeks.

The immense frustration I feel about blood sampling waiting times (the machine spits the results out in an hour or so) is probably contributing to my high blood pressure.

This. ^

I've had hypertension for years, medicated successfully with Lisinopril, and have a machine of my own. It helps as I have white-coat hypertension.

Check your readings for a week and document them. If consistently high, make a GP appointment and bring your readings.

My BP is usually around 120/80. My GP measured it once and it was about 160/100 but I measured it for a week and it was fine.

Once I was in a &e having just fractured my shoulder and it was 220/170 😱 but that was due to pain.

I agree with pp, do 2 readings per day, morning and evening, sit quiet for a few minutes beforehand. After a week you can calculate the average and if it still worries you, tell your GP. They might even give you a 24 hour BP monitor.
If you need medication, it's not the end of the world. There are several to choose from and the GP will find the one that's right for you. Even if you have to take them long term, it's better to keep it under control for your health's sake.

Thanks everyone. I did go to the GP and she was very helpful. I did end up crying about how awful the past 9 months have been (caused by a majorly traumatic event in my church, following a bereavement and having to move house 3 times in a year - it all just banked up).

I had a blood test there and then, which has shown low levels of basophils, neutrophils, and eosinophils. Also low serum ferritin. I am not medically trained at all - those who are - I guess that means low white blood cell count right? So immune system is a bit low.

Perhaps time to start taking care of no 1 a bit.

Mine was 190/145 and I had a stroke nearly 2 years ago, everybody is different to how their body deals with high blood pressure.
im on untold medication to stop another stroke and my bp fluctuates constantly.