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.
The first is typically the highest, and the average should be used as the blood pressure reading.
Blood pressure has a daily pattern. 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.
It's actually quite normal. A difference of more than 10 points, though, could suggest trouble. In younger people, side-to-side differences in blood pressure can occur when a muscle or something else compresses an artery supplying the arm, or by a structural problem that prevents smooth blood flow through an artery.
The first number, called systolic blood pressure, measures the pressure in your arteries when your heart beats. The second number, called diastolic blood pressure, measures the pressure in your arteries when your heart rests between beats.
Ignore the first day's readings altogether, because they might not be accurate as you're not familiar with your monitor yet. At the end of the week you will have a useful picture of what your blood pressure is normally like.
High diastolic blood pressure is a type of hypertension. Doctors do not know exactly why it happens, but obesity, high triglyceride levels, smoking, and alcohol may all contribute. Medication and lifestyle choices can often help manage it.
This is to account for normal variations between readings. Your BP fluctuates depending on the time of day and in response to many factors, such as body position, eating, and how recently you've been physically active. That means that, each time you check your BP, you can expect to see a slightly different result.
Secondary hypertension is caused by specific conditions and their complications: Kidney disease. Congenital heart defects. Congenital defects in blood vessels.
A BP cuff that is too large will give falsely low readings, while an overly small cuff will provide readings that are falsely high.
“Blood pressure is at its lowest when we sleep, goes up a bit in the morning when we wake up, and then it often goes down again by mid-morning after you sit down and have a little breakfast.”
Blood pressure rises and falls throughout the day and night. During sleep, blood pressure falls by 10–30% . It then increases around the time of wakening. In some people, this increase may be significant, resulting in morning hypertension.
Systolic pressure (the first number in a blood pressure reading) measures the force with which the heart pumps blood into the arteries. Diastolic pressure (the second, lower number) reflects the pressure in the arteries when the heart rests between beats.
Check it twice
It's ideal to measure your blood pressure twice a day for two weeks leading up to a doctor's appointment, or following a change in medication. At each sitting, measure your blood pressure three times, but discard the first reading as it tends to be inaccurate.
Forty-six percent of Americans have high blood pressure, but studies show when it's taken twice at your doctor's office - with at least one minute in between - the second reading is typically lower and a more accurate measurement.
Dozens of at home blood pressure machines were tested in the study. According to the results, the participants' home blood pressure monitor readings were off by around 5 mmHg a shocking 70% of the time.
Take your blood pressure at the same time every day. Take at least two readings, 1 or 2 minutes apart.
The study found: 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.
Most studies show a greater risk of cardiovascular disease (especially strokes) related to high systolic pressure as opposed to elevated diastolic pressure.
The diastolic pressure of an adult should typically be 60–80mm Hg, and if the number goes above this, it's considered hypertension. However, if your blood pressure goes over 180/120mm Hg, this is dangerous, and you should seek medical attention immediately.
Anxiety doesn't cause long-term high blood pressure (hypertension). But episodes of anxiety can cause dramatic, temporary spikes in blood pressure. If those temporary spikes occur frequently, such as every day, they can cause damage to blood vessels, the heart and kidneys, as can chronic high blood pressure.
Over the years, research has found that both numbers are equally important in monitoring heart health. However, most studies show a greater risk of stroke and heart disease related to higher systolic pressures compared with elevated diastolic pressures.