Do you have hypertension? Looking for high blood pressure remedies? Maybe you are nervous about your doctor telling you that your readings are way too high, only to be given more prescription medication that makes you feel worse than before.
Maybe your blood pressure really is too high, but maybe it’s not. There is really just one way to find out. You need to measure it yourself, at home.
And then there are a few things you can do if you do have White Coat Syndrome.
First of all, how would you know if you have White Coat Syndrome? Many people do. They get stressed at the mere sight of a person in a white coat heading their way with a sleeve and a stethoscope. And they have reason to be concerned. Here’s why:
1) Stress causes increase in BP
First of all, if people are stressed, their blood pressure can go up significantly, and that can make it appear much higher than it really is. And if the doctor thinks those readings are for real, he or she is going to try to give you more medication than you might need. And that’s not good.
2) Many doctors offices don’t take measurements correctly
BP measurements can appear to be higher than they should be if measurements are taken the wrong way. Here is how it should be measured, and how it is often measured instead.
a) Proper preparation and positioning
Before your BP is measured, you should have been sitting calmly in a chair for five minutes, with your arm comfortably supported at heart level. You should NOT be talking, or moving around, or being stressed in any way.
This is rarely happening. Most office personnel won’t give you the time to sit still for five minutes, especially not with your arm supported in a proper way. And then, they’re interviewing you right before and probably during taking your pressure, possibly upsetting you. Or they’re making small talk. Either way, you’re talking and you shouldn’t be.
b) As you’re sitting, your feet should be on the floor and not dangling off a table
Some doctor‘s offices ask you to sit on the examination table and your feet are dangling off the table instead of being supported by the floor. That too can lead to a higher reading
c) The sleeve should be big enough for your arm
If your arm is larger than “normal,” the sleeve may be too small. If it is, your readings will be too high.
And most doctor‘s offices use the standard sleeve. If your upper arm measures more than about 13 or so inches in circumference, they should use the larger sleeve.
By: Elisabeth Kuhn
