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Blood Pressure

John53

I go leaps and bounds
Premium Member
After some experimentation I've noticed my blood pressure varies a fair depending on how I hold my arm. If I hold it out straight it's lower than if my my arm is bent. Tried it a few minutes ago and bent it was 130/82 and straight is was 116/72 and that's fairly consistent with what I've found the last few days.

I wonder what the correct position is?
 

lewisnotmiller

Grand Hat
Staff member
Premium Member
I have low blood pressure, although not ridiculously so.
Still, it's enough that poor hydration and high stress are a bad combination for me.
 

exchemist

Veteran Member
After some experimentation I've noticed my blood pressure varies a fair depending on how I hold my arm. If I hold it out straight it's lower than if my my arm is bent. Tried it a few minutes ago and bent it was 130/82 and straight is was 116/72 and that's fairly consistent with what I've found the last few days.

I wonder what the correct position is?
There seem to have been studies on this:
The position of the arm during blood pressure measurement in sitting position - PubMed

The lower your arm is, relative to the position of your heart, the higher the reading. I don't know what effect muscle tone in the arm has, but if you are holding your arm out straight, you are not resting: your arm muscles are working, your pulse rate will rise and so will your blood pressure.
 

Secret Chief

nirvana is samsara
After some experimentation I've noticed my blood pressure varies a fair depending on how I hold my arm. If I hold it out straight it's lower than if my my arm is bent. Tried it a few minutes ago and bent it was 130/82 and straight is was 116/72 and that's fairly consistent with what I've found the last few days.

I wonder what the correct position is?
Do you get out much? :p
 

Subduction Zone

Veteran Member
After some experimentation I've noticed my blood pressure varies a fair depending on how I hold my arm. If I hold it out straight it's lower than if my my arm is bent. Tried it a few minutes ago and bent it was 130/82 and straight is was 116/72 and that's fairly consistent with what I've found the last few days.

I wonder what the correct position is?
What sort of cuff are you wearing? Wrist? Upper arm? It makes a difference.

upload_2022-12-14_2-40-9.png


This shows how it varies with a wrist cuff.
 

John53

I go leaps and bounds
Premium Member
There seem to have been studies on this:
The position of the arm during blood pressure measurement in sitting position - PubMed

The lower your arm is, relative to the position of your heart, the higher the reading. I don't know what effect muscle tone in the arm has, but if you are holding your arm out straight, you are not resting: your arm muscles are working, your pulse rate will rise and so will your blood pressure.

I seem to be different as my bp is lower if I hold it out straight
 

Brian2

Veteran Member
After some experimentation I've noticed my blood pressure varies a fair depending on how I hold my arm. If I hold it out straight it's lower than if my my arm is bent. Tried it a few minutes ago and bent it was 130/82 and straight is was 116/72 and that's fairly consistent with what I've found the last few days.

I wonder what the correct position is?

I bet it goes down further if you hold the arm up in the air.
I bet it goes up if you stand on your head and take the pressure.
I could be wrong of course.
I guess it all means that it is best to be consistent in how you take your blood pressure.
 

stvdv

Veteran Member: I Share (not Debate) my POV
I wonder what the correct position is?
Sai Baba said that His blood pressure was always a solid 120/80, perfectly normal

Mine is fluctuating like crazy. I have severe kidney insufficiency, hence eating has a huge impact on BP readings. Mine goes as low as 72/36 (lowest), but normally 90/50. Unless I eat very, very little then it's 120/80

IMO, it's best is to check always in the same way, same time,same position, same amount of food eaten (eating is stress, esp. if you have an allergy) etc.

What causes blood pressure to rise and drop quickly?
Anxiety, stress, drugs, alcohol, physical exercise, and a range of medical conditions such as sleep apnea and kidney disease can cause your blood pressure to fluctuate from high to low. It's normal to see some variance throughout the day but you should consult a doctor if you exhibit symptoms of labile hypertension.
 

stvdv

Veteran Member: I Share (not Debate) my POV
Tried it a few minutes ago and bent it was 130/82 and straight is was 116/72
Great values, it seems to me

Better to also compare multiple tests same position (straight or bent). Maybe the fluctuation is not only straight/bent, but also multiple measurements

I read that there should be 5 min between 2 measurements. But for me that does not matter. Other criteria impact much more

Some meters are better than others. Finally I found a good one with accurate readings for me (specs. explicitly mention it's good for people with impaired kidney function)
 
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