In Reply to: FLUCTUATING BLOOD PRESSURE posted by NAVAL on December 07, 2000 at 01:47:47:

#1 Stop shouting (posting all in caps); it makes it hard to read the message.

#2 Hypertension is *chronic*; that is, the BP rises over time and stays elevated for weeks or months. A sudden increase in BP usually indicates some other problem that is 'stressing' your system. If you're having neck pains I'd suspect you have some inflamation in the tissues and that may be stressing you out. I'd suggest some anti-inflammatories and a thicker, firmer pillow at night. Your doctor seems to be right on target. However, if your BP continues to read high he may prescribe BP medicine, especially if it goes over 140/90 for an extended period of time.

If you take your BP after you've been walking, exercising, or just listening to the election results you'll probably test out a bit higher. Best time to take it is right after you get up in the morning or after sitting in a chair for 20-30 minutes with both feet planted on the floor and not wearing any restrictive clothing. And don't take readings within 5-10 minutes of each other.