If blood pressure is low to normal on laying down, then high on sitting up, is that a concern? Doesn't the blood pressure have to be consistently high to be considered hypertensive? I mean, hypertension is the result of hardening of the arteries / so your arteries can't be flexible on laying down and then hard on sitting up LOL. I have a phobia about taking my pressure sitting up, being afraid that it will be high. I have an anxiety problem and am thinking that I am making it high with this anxiety. I think I wanna throw this thing out of the window LOLOLOL

The way to take bloodpressure according to protocol is:

Sit for 10 minutes, legs not crossed, relax.
Take BP then wait 1 minute and repeat 2 more times.
No talking, no moving, just relax.

Take the last 2 numbers and average them for you BP.

Go ahead and put cuff on arm before starting the above.

The key is to sit relaxed with nothing interfering with free flow of blood thru veins.

Bloodpressure flucuates from minute to minute, it does not stay the same.

BP is not always due to hardened arteries. Many things can contribute to it including stress which helps constrick the blood vessels reducing flow of blood.

Most BP has unknown causes.

Marie

If you lay down, your blood pressure will be much lower. I think there are special tables that address these situations.

Unless you are in prison, you will need to take it sitting up.

This is interesting LOL / there seems to be soo soo much conflicting information out there. First off, I know what the protocol is for taking bp / and instructions that you get with your monitor. When a person is in the hospital, and not able to sit, bp is taken while laying down. If the person has hypertension, the readings will continue to show hypertension, even tho laying down. The person with hypertension will not show a much lower reading because of laying down. Some will say that hypertension can only be diagnosed if the bp is consistently elevated. Some will say that the top number is not as important. Some will say that anxiety will not affect bp to a great degree. Some say that anxiety will not change the bottom number. Of course blood pressure changes all through the day and night / so some say to average it. If you have anxiety problems, some will say to address the anxiety and others will say medicate for the bp. By /some/ I mean nurses / docs / and lay ppl. So, it seems to me that there is too much conflicting info. I believe that bp meds are very serious, and could do more harm than good in some cases. I also think that docs want to medicate for fear of litigation and sometimes even ignorance. For now, I will go with / let food be your medicine. Thanks for the replies and HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Jondon -
You haven't said how high your blood pressure has been, but it sounds as if your doctor is recommending medication.

You should be aware that high blood pressure can cause way more damage than the possible side effects of medication. Even slightly elevated blood pressure can have a bad effect over a period of time. High blood pressure puts you at increased risk for stroke, heart attack, kidney damage, etc. It effects every single organ in your body.

For some people, diet modification and exercise are very effective in reducing blood pressure. However, for others, nothing short of medciation will work. Even if your blood pressure is amenable to diet and exercise, you may need medication until the diet/exercise routine has a chance to work.

As you mentioned, it's very confusing to sort through all the information that's out there, and certainly blood pressure is not static...it doesn't remain the same all the time. However, if your blood pressure is too high while sitting in a relaxed state, that means it will go even higher under stress or physical exertion. So please don't ignore it.