My Blood Pressure is 143/73 when i last checked, normal for anxiety sufferers?

[JCRyanDenton]

I checked my BP as i kept having near panic attacks in the cinema today, so i went home and immediately checked my BP (without eating any food prior), it came out as 143/73, but i checked online that its in the hypertension range, which worries me.

[Speranza]

No it is fine. The top figure is a bit higher than ideal but it is most likely because you have checked it yourself.

[JCRyanDenton]

No it is fine. The top figure is a bit higher than ideal but it is most likely because you have checked it yourself.

I will have my mother help me with it later on.
Also while i was having near panic attacks, i felt pressure on my chest and thought i was about to have a freaking heart attack, i was rather frightened about that.

[Speranza]

Worry at that level might have caused a BP 'spike' - nothing to worry about, our bodies change their reactions according to our circumstances.

[JCRyanDenton]

Checked again, 139/72. Slightly lower.

[Freaked]

Bp is only considered high if it's persistently above 140 a lot of the time. Occasional spikes are normal, particularly for anxiety sufferers. Ideally you want systolic to be 100-120 apparently, but many adults seem to end up being in the 120s or 130s in a hospital setting. I've had mine be as low as 90 and as high as 147 the last few months, and docs have only been concerned when it's low. But then I am 21. If it keeps being high (and try to check it when you're calm if you can) you could talk to your doc and maybe cut down on salt.

[Ally-SA]

Hello. Will share what happens to me....

Every time I'm stressed my blood pressure goes up - around 140/something.

A nurse told me to sit still for 15 - 30 minutes before checking my bp... and if I think of something else... watch some telly or read, and then take it, it's normal.

If I go to a doctor, it always reads high - apparently it's called white coat syndrome. :)

Try to relax. Take it only once a week - it goes up and down all the time.

[Stormsky]

Mines 90/60

[joelhall]

Nothing alarming about your blood pressure, and it's certainly not anything which would be considered an emergency. If it were 180/100 I would be more concerned.
You have to remember however, that a lot of things can raise systolic pressure, even the temperature, and not everyone has blood pressure in the 'ideal' range. Hypertension is relative to somebody's normal blood pressure rather than simply absolute.

[AuntieMoosie]

Your blood pressure sounds fine to me too :)

I always give a high blood pressure result if I'm at the hospital or my doctors, I seem to have the classic "white coat syndrome" lol

Once at an out patients appointment at the hospital, I gave a reading of 165/ 90, the nurse took it again to double check and it was the same result.

When I went in to see my consultant, he mentioned my blood pressure, I told him that I wouldn't take any notice of it, because I always have high readings like that especially if I'm at the hospital, which I'd rather be 100 miles away from!!!! lol

2 things happen with me, firstly I'm recovering from agoraphobia and have only been going out and about for a few months having been housebound for a number of years, so the fact that I'm out and about always raises my anxiety, secondly I'm at my most least favourite place to ever be, so even higher anxiety which, in turn, means higher blood pressure!! lol

Anyway, my consultant was a little more pleased when I told him that, but was still a wee bit concerned so I had a 24 hour blood pressure monitor put on me so that they could get a clearer picture, when the results came back, my overall average was 140/80 which I was told was perfectly fine, I was told that they don't consider you to have high blood pressure, that would need treatment, until it reaches about 153 (being the top figure) really can't remember what the bottom figure was now, it would also have to remain at that level, before they would consider it appropriate for treatment.

My doctor also told me that even at 153, it wouldn't be considered to be seriously high.

Joel has said exactly what my doctor told me, blood pressure is very individual and a lot of people are either at the lower end of the scale or the upper end of the scale and that would be perfectly normal for them, and that is why they test a lot before they consider treatment unless it is seriously high.

My advice would be not to take too seriously the charts that are online as the doctors will take many other things into consideration, it's just not as simple as following a very basic chart :)

If you were near to having a panic attack, I would expect your blood pressure to be a wee bit up than it normally is, your heart rate increases when you're near panic or in panic, you will also be hot and both these things will effect your blood pressure. High blood pressure while anxious or in panic is not anything to worry about, as it will soon go back to being completely normal once the panic has gone :)

[Anxiety Jim]

Mine was 160/100 once when my GP took it, he just told me to see the nurse that week to set up monitoring it every couple of weeks, I actually got to see the nurse the next day and it was down to 140/90.

I put my high reading down to "white coat syndrome" plus anxiety.

Mine's down to about 125/75 now.

Also, when my GP checked mine a few years ago and it was 140/90 all she said was make sure I get it checked in a year, so I don't think it's an alarmingly high reading. ha ha.

[yenool]

145/75 isn't particularly high unless consistently repeated over many readings when you are more relaxed. Even then it wouldn't be high enough to get a GP excited.

I've had mine as high as the 180/110+ mark before now - caused by the anxiety of having an injection. That was high enough to get the nurse's attention... she wouldn't let me leave until I had relaxed and it came down again.