Measuring Blood Pressure

[kashat]

My doctor told me to take the blood pressure three times in succession and record the average of the three.
When I do it, the second reading is almost always significantly lower than the first one. Could you explain this phnomenon?

[ed34]

not bio feedback no. However, when I took relaxation classes, I was very surprised at how tense I was without even noticeing it. In my first class I was asked to sit in a chair and relax, which I did, or so I thought. She asked if my jaw was aching and I had to admit it was. Without realising it, I was clenching my jaw tightly. I now subconsciously make sure I'm not doing that. She then commented on my breathing, that it was wrong. I had my shoulders up and was breathing into the upper part of my chest. I think this developed from lots of heavy lifting in the building trade. I had to lower my shoulders and breathe in and out through the lower abdomen. This was very hard indeed, it actually hurt because I hadn't used those muscles in that way for many years. Now I breathe that way all the time unless I need a burst of energy. I didn't realise that if you raise your shoulders and breathe, adrenaline is increased. I'm not sure how that works but apparently it has been proved. A heart monitor showed my pulse at 88-92 when resting, but when I lowered my shoulders and breathed deeper, lower down, my pulse dropped to 66-68. Quite a difference. These were just two things out of many that she picked up on. I was basically tense all over.

[kenkeith]

The phenomonon can be explained:
The initial visit to the physician's office is often the cause of an artificially high blood pressure that may disappear with repeated testing after rest and with follow-up visits and blood pressure checks. One out of four people that are thought to have mild hypertension actually may have normal blood pressure when they are outside the physician's office. An increase in blood pressure noted only in the doctor's office is called 'white coat hypertension.' The name suggests that the physician's white coat induces the patient's anxiety and a brief increase in blood pressure. A diagnosis of white coat hypertension might imply that it is not a clinically important or dangerous finding.

To poster ED: Have you tried biofeed to reduce your anxiety?  I don't have that problem :)

[ed34]

you've had longer to relax, it's as simple as that.
If I walk into a room and sit down, then take my blood pressure it will be higher than one taken two minutes later because I've had time for my body to relax.
When I visit the doctor, they chat to me for a few minutes before taking my blood pressure. This gives me time to settle down and relax.
It could also be the anticipation of seeing your first result, causing you to be a bit anxious. This will raise pressure slightly but will quickly drop when you see the results are not bad. Being more confident with the second take, with less anxiety, your pressure will be lower.