Up And Down??!!?

Question

I have been issued a 24 hr abp device on me. It takes a reading every 1/2 hour. But before the reading I feel tense and nervous and my bp goes up. But after the bp is taken I feel fine. What is wrong with me????

Answer 1

You may have a variant of the "white coat syndrome". The white coat syndrome refers to the increase in blood pressure whenever the patient sees the professional (usually wearing a white lab coat) about to measure his/her pressure. It is true that pain can increase your pressure, but I suspect that in your case, when you feel the device putting pressure on your arm, you tense up and get nervous... you're probably afraid it's going to give you a high reading!
Apart from relaxing - and this may take you a while to learn - there really isn't a lot you can do. I must say though that taking a person's blood pressure every half hour seems a little excessive to me.
Also, studies seem to indicate that white coat syndrome may be an indicator of future persistent hypertension (high BP).

Answer 2

Does the device tighten up on your arm and hurt a bit? You could be anticipating this. I know the one at the dr office tightens so much I scrunch up my face. I have been having high bp, sometimes the machine shows it is really high, other times quite normal. I know it doesn't work laying down... My bp is different all day long. My doc has given me a presc for a diuretic that she said also helps bp. We'll see.