High Blood Pressure

Wrap the cuff thingy round your arm and WITHOUT PRESSING THE START BUTTON sit for ten minutes reading a nice book. Then quietly press the button and return to reading. Have the book open in front of you and keep your eyes and mind on it! Don't look up at the screen on the machine until it has finished measuring. If you don't like the result, wait ten minutes and repeat.
Try taking it on the other arm - the readings are often different, and it is encouraging to have it a bit lower.

I see!
Sheena - I take tablets to keep my BP under control, a betablocker and another one which is supposed to make my blood more fluid so easier to pump.
If you're worried definitely see your GP about it.
Has anyone read a story by Damon Runyon called Blood Pressure? He went to his Doc. about a stomach problem and the Doctor said his BP was 'up in the spades'. He must lead a quieter life. But one of his ex criminal acquaintances turns up and makes him go round the dives with him, all night long.
Next day he went back to the Doc. and he said 'Well done - your BP is back to normal now!"
Who knows what pushes it up and down?

130/70 in Uk Numbers!

ps "3 times a day" not "3 times".

Last time I went for my repeat prescription my BP was up for the first time in years. My doctor lent me a machine to use at home, to take a reading 3 times . I had to record the readings on a form and take it all back after 3 days.
It was surprising how the readings changed at different times of the day.
As you say,*Elaine*, they look at the lowest reading for the day, and mine was normal, TG
Numbers are given differently here, I don't understand it. Normal is 13/7.

That's not too bad. We would advise checking it every month for 3 months and if still higher than normal then see the Practice Nurse.
When checking it in a health centre it is often taken 3 times and the lowest reading recorded as most people are anxious the first time and it goes back to normal 2nd and 3rd times. Even people who think they are not anxious - it is not something you can control yourself. The lower reading is not considered high unless 90 or over.

Wish my bp reading was that low. I have major high bp problems and am on lots of different meds for it which work for a while and then it goes crazy again .
Try porridge for breakfast but not sweetened with sugar ,try fresh fruit in it , my gp tells me blueberries are good in it. My gp also says the only fruit I should eat plenty of are bananas and apples . Grapes and oranges and the others should be limited.
There is a shed load of info on this on pinterest.
Cut the salt and hidden sugar and salt . Read labels .

I'm on a low dose of Candasarten for my BP and it has brought it down from 164/90 to 139/76 with no ill effects, so don't worry Sheena it can be sorted.

dont panic ,thats not massively high ,try some breathing exercises and take it again .Dont take it without sitting quietly for a few minutes.As for diet ,cutting out salt is usually what the tell you to do .Try taking it first thing in the morning and before your dinner in the evening for a few days and see if you get a pattern

Calm down Sheena it's not that bad. My BP was higher than that at the GP surgery last week and they suggested I keep an eye on it which I will do.

BP readings can vary quite a lot during the day depending on what you are doing and if you have just eaten, all sorts of factors. As Tanith suggested, try leaving it for 10 minutes, sit quietly and do it again. The more worked up you get the more likely it is to be raised. Take it a few more times over the weekend and if you are still worried on Monday, go and see the nurse at your GP surgery.

I always take mine two or three times as I have high BP, it usually drops each time I take. Take yours again but repeat once or twice. If you have high BP why aren't you being monitored by your GP or even taking meds?
See your GP if it's still high.