Everyone's blood pressure rises and falls many times during the course of a single day, sometimes even within minutes. Many factors contribute to these changes, including physical activity, emotion, body position, diet (especially salt and alcohol intake), and sleep deprivation.
Most healthy individuals have variations in their blood pressure — from minute to minute and hour to hour. These fluctuations generally happen within a normal range.
Acute meal ingestion, caffeine or nicotine use can all affect BP readings, leading to errors in measurement accuracy. If the patient has a full bladder, that can lead to an error in systolic BP of up to 33 mm Hg, and the white-coat effect can have an error of up to 26 mm Hg.
This is normal. However, in some cases, your blood pressure may fluctuate significantly, suddenly, and on a regular basis. This condition is known as labile hypertension and it may point to a more serious health concern that requires medical attention.
“It's normal, of course, for a person's blood pressure to rise and fall from minute to minute with changes in posture, exercise, stress, or sleep,” says Mercado. “As a result, health care professionals consider an average reading more important than that at any one time.”
Usually, blood pressure starts to rise a few hours before a person wakes up. It continues to rise during the day, peaking in midday. Blood pressure typically drops in the late afternoon and evening. Blood pressure is usually lower at night while sleeping.
Call 911 or emergency medical services if your blood pressure is 180/120 mm Hg or greater and you have chest pain, shortness of breath, or symptoms of stroke.
Your first blood pressure reading will almost always be higher than the second due to a wide range of factors, both environmental and psychological. These factors include white coat syndrome, stress, and having a full bladder.
“It's actually quite normal to have variation in blood pressure readings, even within a few minutes,” says Marjorie Willett, nurse practitioner at Aurora Lakeland Medical Center. “Factors that may create changes include physical activity, emotion, diet (especially salt and alcohol intake), and sleep deprivation.”
And does dehydration cause high blood pressure? Drinking water can help normalize your blood pressure but doesn't necessarily lower your blood pressure unless you are dehydrated. Because your blood is made up of 90% water, the overall volume will decrease when you are dehydrated.
Blood pressure readings taken at home were consistent with ABPM. Blood pressure readings based on follow-up clinic visits were significantly lower for the systolic measure, leading to over half of the people with hypertension based on ABPM being missed.
Surges of anxiety can cause blood pressure spikes, but these are typically temporary. Over time, however, chronic anxiety can begin to have an adverse effect on someone's baseline blood pressure. We understand your desire to manage each of these conditions without the use of medication.
Normal pressure is 120/80 or lower. Your blood pressure is considered high (stage 1) if it reads 130/80. Stage 2 high blood pressure is 140/90 or higher. If you get a blood pressure reading of 180/110 or higher more than once, seek medical treatment right away.
A Look At The Guidelines
Normal: Less than 120/80. Elevated: Systolic between 120-129 and diastolic less than 80. High blood pressure (hypertension) Stage 1: Systolic between 130-139 or diastolic between 80-89. High blood pressure Stage 2: Systolic 140 or higher or diastolic 90 or higher.
Some people will experience symptoms such as headache, numbness or tingling several days before they have a serious stroke.
Don't measure your blood pressure right after you wake up.
You can prepare for the day, but don't eat breakfast or take medications before measuring your blood pressure. If you exercise after waking, take your blood pressure before exercising.
Labile hypertension is when a person's blood pressure frequently fluctuates between normal and high. While it is normal for a person's blood pressure to vary throughout the day, with labile hypertension the blood pressure fluctuates more dramatically.
Unfortunately, high blood pressure can happen without feeling any abnormal symptoms. Moderate or severe headaches, anxiety, shortness of breath, nosebleeds, palpitations, or feeling of pulsations in the neck are some signs of high blood pressure.
Blood pressure does not stay the same all the time. It changes to meet your body's needs and it is normal for your blood pressure to go up and down throughout the day. It is affected by various factors, including body position, breathing, emotional state, exercise and sleep.
Your blood pressure should be checked in the morning, about an hour after you wake up, and in the evening, about an hour before you go to sleep, using the same arm each time. Taking 3 consecutive measurements (about 1 minute apart) will provide a more accurate understanding of your "true" blood pressure.
Fluctuating blood pressure can be normal, as blood pressure varies somewhat throughout the day. Stress, exercise, and sleep can all make a difference. But if your blood pressure often changes significantly from one healthcare visit to another, there may a problem.