I gave extreme anxiety about my BP being taken even when I take it myself at home. As soon as I put the cuff on I start to feel it going up and my heart beats faster. I took several readings at home over 2 days, my highest reading was the first reading and it was 155/90 and my lowest reading was 121/81. I also had an endoscope done at the hospital and I wasn’t focused on my BP I was focused on the procedure even though my BP was being taken through the process every 5 minutes. After it was all over and I was just about to leave I asked the nurse what my last BP reading was and she said “ textbook 120/80. So when it’s taken when I’m not thinking about it it’s normal. I would like to hear from others who experience this same problem when they take it at home as well as the drs office. - Thank you.
Why do you feel so anxious?
Hello, I get the exact same thing. My mum does too. In the UK we call it white coat syndrome. Try putting the cuff on when you are in the right position then read a book or watch tv for a while. When you feel calmer push the button, take 3 readings with decent intervals then choose the best one or do a mean average. I usually do breathing exercises or grounding while I take mine. I can literally get anxious about it just thinking about the results! Mine are never normal always on the high side. Good luck with it all 
Thank you for your reply. Yes, just thinking about taking it makes it go up. I thought white coat syndrome was only in a clinical setting I didn’t know it was called that when taking it at home. I took 3 readings in May and 3 in June and averaged them out but I’m not going to take any more for a few more months. I worry about everything.
Well, this is not the big issue at all. I will suggest you be chill and don’t take too much stress about it. I also suggest you not think about it.
Mindset is everything. I will suggest you treat it as a normal activity, like you are drinking water or reading the book and taking food or playing your favorite game.
However, I will suggest a few tips to help you more on this.
- Sit quietly for 5 minutes before checking.
- Take 2 to 3 readings and ignore the first reading.
- Try deep breathing, music, or distraction while the cuff inflates.
- Do it at the same time each day for consistency.