when patients get their blood pressure taken at the doctor’s office, the doctor requires you to sit, legs uncrossed. But what would happen if we stand up to get our blood pressure taken? can we stand? or do we have to sit? And why?
A lot of things can affect it including your body position, whether you’ve been physically active lately, had caffeine, smoked, or even had a bath.
Recommendations even say to sit in that position for 5 minutes before measuring.
It is an at rest measure ( supposed to be like 10 mins inactivity ) to check your pressure when doing no work. Standing is effort and if they take it just after you stood up woukd show an increase in numbers.
Exactly. It is compared to a standard. If you change the assumptions the results are meaningless as a comparison.
120 over 80 while standing may be way too low.
Ah, that’s why they call you in from the waiting room after making you wait for at least a half hour point when your appointment was and immediately take it after you’ve just gotten up and then sat back down.
No, that’s just because your doctors office (like many) is slow.
Maybe some docs do, mine always has me sit in the exam room waiting for doc
Yes, standing vs sitting affects the reading.
In my case, I have a type of dysautonomia where either BP or HR change significantly when sitting vs standing vs laying down.
POTS?
Yes
We’re suspecting my stepdaughter might have it too; seeing a cardiologist in a few weeks
Good luck. Feel free to message me if you need to talk.
It does make a difference. After a car wreck, a neurologist was assessing me and took my blood pressure acouole times. Once after standing up and sitting back down and another after sitting for a while. Not sure the exact reason, but it does make a difference.
I believe the logic for taking blood pressure while sitting versus standing is that it typically produces a more reliable measurement, meaning that measurements taken today, tomorrow, and next week under the same conditions will be as similar as possible
I believe it has to do with not obstructing the flow of blood returning from the lower extremities any more than necessary, to give a more accurate pressure reading at rest. If you’re walking or running, alternating muscle contraction helps to pump the blood upward, but if you’re just standing, the general muscle engagement to keep you standing can slow it. But I could be wrong about this.
Yes, typically it runs a little higher when you stand.
