Why does my blood pressure read higher at the Dr's office?

Question

I have a home blood pressure monitor that I bought last week. It's an Omron, which is supposed to be pretty good I hear.

And yet, at the Dr.'s office I've recently had about 3-4 readings taken that were all significantly higher than what my Omron tells me.

I'm following the instructions closely. I rest for a few minutes, sit with my feet flat on the floor and my left arm resting on an armchair or a table, and I make sure the strap is on my arm properly according to diagrams and instructions.

So why is my blood pressure lower at home? I'm a little reluctant to blame it on faulty equipment, since Omron is a good brand, right?

Answer 1

Mine does too. It is nerves and the doctor should be able to know the difference. Mine had me get a blood pressure monitor to get a reading at home. Then I went in for three months for him to take it and he noticed right away that it was normal at home and high there. He called it white coat syndrome. I can't even believe it has a name.

Answer 2

3 years ago, I was diagnosed - hypertension with a reading of 160/100. I used to feel dizzy a lot, my legs had awful cramps, and levels were very low in my potassium, causing my fingers and toes to always cramp together. One day I started to feel really faint while I was driving with my daughter in the back seat and I passed out, hitting 3 cars and ending up in a ditch. That moment,I knew I had to do something because my meds weren't working. I heard about this diet from a friend and thought I'd give it a shot. The results have been remarkable. In just 21 days, I honestly can't remember feeling this good, my blood pressure went from 175/110 to 125/70.

Answer 3

Just going to the doctor's office is a little anxiety ridden. The increase of pressure at the doctor's office might be because of that. You are just not as relaxed there as at home. I'm not talking about the 'sitting' relaxed, I'm referring to the inner anxiety your body experiences even if sitting in a relaxed pose.

Answer 4

my roommate is a nurse, and he told me that it's very very common for a person's blood pressure to be higher while at the doctors office. It's essentially due to the stress of being at the doctors office.

Answer 5

probably because you get a little anxious at the dr's office which would cause an increase in your blood pressure even if you dont feel anxious most people have a tendency to get this way when going to the dr's

Answer 6

Several things...
1) You may be stressed at the Doctor's office.
2) The size of the blood pressure cuff. Certain cuffs are made for specific weights.

Answer 7

people at the doctor office tend to be more nervous which increases heart rate and blood pressure which could make a significant difference in what is normal blood pressure for you and the doctors readings.

Answer 8

No, it is not faulty equipment. This is a very common thing.
I experienced the same problem and asked my doctor about it. He called it the "white coat syndrome", referring to the white coat that many doctors and other medical personnel wear.
Apparently many people (including you and me) get somewhat excited when we are measured for medical reasons, resulting in higher values than at home.
Don't worry about it and maybe tell your doctor next time that you appear to suffer from this phenomenon.

Answer 9

Very common and it even has a name: white coat hypertension= higher bp at drs. office.

Answer 10

You are nervous, which raises your bp. Also happens when people take your pulse, it will speed up.

Your bp also rises throughout the day (higher in afternoon than in the morning). And caffeine will make it go up too.