So I measure my blood pressure every morning and every evening at about the same time, very soon after waking up and right around 10:45 p.m. This morning, I used my BP monitor to take the morning measurement, and I scored way high—150-something over 90-something. "That can't be right," I thought, so I waited a minute or two and did the measurement again. Sure enough: low 140s over 82. I've long mistrusted BP measurements, whether by doctors or by machines. There seems to be a lot of subjectivity and variability in how blood pressure gets measured. For the moment, though, I think one reason why my BP is all over the place from day to day, aside from natural fluctuations, is that the machine itself is the problem.
Wednesday, June 09, 2021
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2 comments:
I know what you mean about those inexplicable fluctuations. If I get a high reading I do over and it almost always comes down. I'm not sure how sensitive the machine is to things like cuff placement, but I do try and wear it the same every time. What do you do during the actual BP check? I'm usually looking at something on the internet and I wonder if maybe getting agitated impacts the reading. But yeah, I've had doctors check mine twice back-to-back, so maybe they don't trust their machines either.
I usually take a recumbent BP while lying on my bed, although I sometimes also do a sitting BP (as I've done more and more frequently lately). Cuff is always placed in the same position. There's a red arrow on my cuff that serves as a guide.
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