Is Your First Blood Pressure Reading Always Your Highest?

[looking4answers]

We have a home blood pressure monitor and when I first sit down and move around adjusting it and everything my first reading is always a little higher. If I sit there and wait about one minute the next one is a lot lower and then if I wait another minute then its even more lower..to just above normal. My wife takes about three every time she takes it one after the other..

The first one if im really nervous scares me. If I can relax and not think about it .. it goes down and so on?

So just moving around a bit can give you a high reading ? And then if it drops to normal within three minutes that means its ok?

Could someone clarify this for me. Im thinking if its high when I just sat down for that one reading maybe its high all the time but my wife says no.. that if you relax and get a consistent reading that is what your pressure is?

Please someone tell me whats going on here.. I want to believe that the lower one is the correct one..

[kahi35]

i try not to take it at all cause it only makes mw anxious. try not to take it and try and see how u feel. i use to take it all the time and it would always be high and its even higher when i go see my cardiologist.

[looking4answers]

Im suspecting the same but have been ordered by the doctor to take it three times a week and give them the results. We insisted that I be taken off a higher med because of tiredness and irritability and not feeling well and slow heart rate . My wife was in the doctors office with me when they took my bp and pronounced I had high blood pressure. She said one thing they didn't give me time to relax, marched me right in and half standing took it ,another thing took me two hours in the waiting room and another things while she was taking it she was telling me I had high blood pressure.

My question more or less and I hate .. I mean I hate taking it ,is that if you have to take it.. then you should always take average of three one every two minutes or so and then average them . I was curious that if you just sat down and immediately took it , would it be higher just from the shear act of you walking there and sitting down , but the next readings get lower and lower.. does this sound about right?

[Alisonj]

You need to have atleast 3 minutes minimum between readings for them to be accurate. It takes that long for the blood vessels to return to normal. So the second and third wont be as accurate as the first unless you wait.

[looking4answers]

Oh nooooooooooooooooooooooo that means that my first one was the correct one although I had just sit down and put the thing on? Even if it drops down a whole bunch to a normal reading? omg................

[Alisonj]

no no dont freak out!!! First off all you have to sit quiet for 5 minutes before you even take that reading, no smoke, food or drink 30 minutes prior to taking it either. Make sure your arm is at heart level and do not move or talk while you take it. You cant just sit down and take it right away. Also always take it at the same time(s) everyday to get an accurate idea. It tends to be highest upon waking and lower in the evening but it can flucuate by like 10 points in a matter of minutes.

[looking4answers]

Thank you Allison you are very nice..I appreciate it so very much I have been really concerned with all that..Michael

[Alisonj]

It has been my biggest health anxiety so I have done my fair share of freaking out as well! There are some supplements that help bring down your blood pressure CoEnzyme Q10 is a good one, as is garlic. Sometimes even the slightest changes can make a difference. Biggest thing I have learned, is if you worry about it, it will rise.

[looking4answers]

If garlic brings it down.. wowwwwwwwwwwww I should be the healthiest person alive.We eat garlic in everything you can put it in. I also have tuna everyday for lunch and this should help as always I have garlic powder in it.. Ill check out that coenzyme thing .. Yeah worry surely brings it up. Hope I can get back to my not worry. Tonight I had to go outside and its really cold... had to check the propane to make sure we weren't out and then take a panel down that had screws and remove the panel then re light the hot water heater. The wind blew it out. All the time I was wondering if my blood pressure was too high but so far so good.. Then I ate dinner and Im pretty sure it is lol.. especially after eating a little cake with very little chocolate on it.. Got to cut that out.. :-) Thanks sweetie you really are a love for chatting here about this.. Michael