doctor assigned homework--off topic sort of

BP Machines don't care what your position is !

by IAN MC - 2017-03-15 14:33:01

Hi Gotrhythm   My understanding is that BP changes, depending on your position,    It is always measured in the sitting position simply so that you're comparing like with like.

If you are in hospital, BP is normally measured when you're lying down.  The heart needs less effort to pump blood  to your brain if you are lying down and your diastolic pressure can be up to 50mms lower in the lying down position,  Similarly your BP will be higher from a standing-up position.

One  important thing is to always have your arm at the same level as your right atrium. 

So the BP manufacturers don't recommend sitting position because the readings are any less accurate in other positions , they recommend sitting position because the readings would be different ( not less accurate ) in other positions and they want consistency in the measurements .

If I had an about-to-faint feeling I would definitely want to measure my BP asap in the conventional sitting position . Measuring it while you plunge to the floor may be tricky. But however you do it, whether it is sitting, standing or lying down tell your Dr what position you were in .

Best of luck

Ian

Blood pressure sitting and standing

by LondonAndy - 2017-03-15 19:29:46

I agree with Ian MC, but when I had dizzy spells (indicating low blood pressure) upon standing, a senior nurse used a standard cuff-round-the-arm meter to measure my pressure firstly whilst seated and, leaving the cuff in position as I stood up, immediately after I stood.  So I would conclude that a decent (eg Omron) cuff type meter (not a wrist meter) would serve your purpose.

Blood Pressure

by WarrenW - 2017-03-16 16:17:31

Hi there,

i posted on here the other day about the same thing regarding blood pressure drops . Mine are between 20 - 30 points from a sitting to standing position.

i have read that have a tilt table test is effective in terms of diagnosis ?

worth looking into I hope you find the solution so it can be fixed I find it incredibly debilitating . Thanks for the comments on my original post it was great advice gotrythem .

good to know

by Gotrhythm - 2017-03-17 10:31:34

Thanks for the clarification re: blood pressure and postion. My favorite monitor is my Omron wrist monitor that lights up blue when in proper postion. Very accurate but it just flashes orange lights if my feet aren't on the floor and my back upright. I don't know how it knows how I'm sitting, but it does.

I have a standard arm cuff. I'll experiment with iit. I agree remaining standing when feeling faint woulf be a questionable strategy. So I'll only do it when I'm feeling okay.

I"m 40 houirs into the Holtor monitor and wouldn't you know, I've only had one episode and it wasn't even severe. I've been having several a day. [sigh]

Warren, glad something I said helped. Having this group to turn to has helped me more times than I can name. I've learned as much from other's questions as from asking my own.

Siting to standing blood pressure

by LondonAndy - 2017-03-18 10:11:43

@Gotrhythm - I can certainly appreciate not wanting to take your BP whilst feeling dizzy, but on the other hand that is the optimum time to measure the difference between the two readings.  So if you can find a way to do your measuring safely when standing, maybe whilst against a wall or with someone steadying you, that would provide the most useful reading?