calling anyone who knows anything about blood pressure

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barbiex3
barbiex3 Posts: 1,036 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
so i was at walmart the other day, and my friend and I decided to take our blood pressure at the machine thing that they had there and mine was 125/65... On the chart the 125 was pre hypertension which really freaked me out because i've gone to doctors before and i always remember my top number being 125. and in my college fitness class we took our blood pressure as well and my top number was 125.
why is mine so high? my friends was 115. It's supposed to be 120. I'm just confussed. I thought I was healthy, & i'm only 19 =[ ?
help? =[

Replies

  • rylest04
    rylest04 Posts: 7
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    walking around walmart raises ur bp
  • haeden
    haeden Posts: 183 Member
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    125/65 is just fine! normal bp is 120/80 :) trust me your fine,i work at a hospital and i have seen people way into the 200
  • Tanya761
    Tanya761 Posts: 146
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    The "Perfect" BP is 120/80. I am not a medical doc by any means, but I wouldn't worry about 5pts. If you eat lots of sodium, try to cut that down. I think 140 as the top number is considered hypertension. Ask your doc if you are concerned.
  • haeden
    haeden Posts: 183 Member
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    and by the way those things arent 100% right.your best bet is to do it manually if you are concerned but from what you said its totally fine!
  • chevy88grl
    chevy88grl Posts: 3,937 Member
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    Those machines are not always the most accurate way to gauge your blood pressure. Also, if you'd been walking around a lot or whatever - it COULD have been raised because of that.

    If you're genuinely concerned about it - call your doctor and ask to come in for a bp check-up. If you can't do that, buy a GOOD at home blood pressure machine. Use it in the morning as soon as you get up, once during the afternoon and in the evening before bed. Do that for a week or two and see what it looks like through the day.

    Also, I've HEARD the bottom number (which is the beats while your heart is resting is more important than than the top number) -- not sure how accurate that is though.

    My blood pressure averages about 84/59. But, I have very low blood pressure and always have.
  • mikeyken
    mikeyken Posts: 118 Member
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    seriously not high. I have been a nurse for 10 years and that is an excellent blood pressure. People are all different and what may be high for your friend can be perfectly normal for you and nothing to worry about. If it gets above 150 with no strenuous exercise before you might want to see your doctor, otherwise don't stress about it. Being worried about it will only raise it more anyway :)
  • Givinya
    Givinya Posts: 9
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    Not being a doctor, I feel I shouldn't really chime in here but I do know a fair bit about BP. I am sure that 125 is not high, and shouldn't be classified as 'pre-hypertension.' Yes, 120/80 is called "normal" but your BP will fluctuate according to your activity and stress levels, and while doctors might be concerned if your top number was 135-140 at rest, I am pretty sure you'd be hard pressed to find anyone who is concerned with your reading of 125 while out shopping. And anyway, the top number is more readily affected by stress and exercise, it's the bottom number that indicates underlying pathology, (meaning 'something wrong.') At my age, 85 is fine for the bottom number, but with my hypertension following pre-eclampsia in pregnancy, nobody gets concerned unless mine goes above 89 for a sustained period. And they always measure it when I'm well rested.

    Is it my imagination, or is the worst thing for your blood pressure actually the fear of high blood pressure? Hmm.
  • GaveUp
    GaveUp Posts: 308
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    Walking around walmart raises your heart rate plus the stress of just being there. Don't worry about it your BP is just fine. Used to be that 140/90 was borderline HBP...... now they have change it because of the obesity in America.
  • barbiex3
    barbiex3 Posts: 1,036 Member
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    seriously not high. I have been a nurse for 10 years and that is an excellent blood pressure. People are all different and what may be high for your friend can be perfectly normal for you and nothing to worry about. If it gets above 150 with no strenuous exercise before you might want to see your doctor, otherwise don't stress about it. Being worried about it will only raise it more anyway :)

    lol thank you! i knew there would be some nurses on here to tell me. =]
  • MochaMixAZ
    MochaMixAZ Posts: 844 Member
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    Hi. I'm an RN - and blood pressure is tricky.

    While normal is 120/80, a one time reading of 125 is nothing to be worried about. So many things will impact this number. If you CONSISTENTLY get a high reading, that might be something to raise with your doctor, but this slight elevation most likely is not a concern. A slightly misplaced cuff, a little stress, a loud noise - anything can cause this number to jump. To really get a feel, you may want to take your blood pressure the same time each day, with the same machine, and write these numbers down. Then, if you're seeing the numbers higher than you'd like, bring that list to your doc.

    One thing to know - the top number is actually less important than the bottom number. The bottom number is really the key, and yours is great at 65. This reflects the pressure when the heart at rest - and yours is awesome.

    A one time reading of 125 is NOT prehypertension. If you sustain this slightly elevated reading, it COULD be prehypertension. But truly, this 1 reading shouldn't concern you. Another note - don't take your blood pressure multiple times within a few minutes. Historically, each reading will give a higher, inaccurate reading.

    IF you trend consistently at 125, you *could* be at risk for hypertension. Losing even 5% of your body weight, watching your blood sugars, exercising are all great ways to help get that number down.

    So, in summary - it's great to track and keep an eye on this. Check your readings a few more times. Discuss with your doctor, but don't stress. (That can make it worse!). Do all the things you know are good for you: watch your sodium intake, watch your calories, exercise, reduce stress. So, I guess I don't agree with everyone that said it's nothing to worry about - I think it's something to watch. The latest research indeed does state that sustained B/P greater than 120/80 can be of concern and it has been labeled pre-hypertension - the key is that everyone is different, it depends on so many other factors, and you simply can't use a one time reading. Your primary care physician is really the best resource to help determine your personal target range. It should reflect your current health, your history, your family's history, and many other factors.

    And, by the way, KUDOS for being 19 and checking on your blood pressure! I don't know many who do that!
  • Tiggerrick
    Tiggerrick Posts: 1,078 Member
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    All the things we measure have a range. BP is no exeption, and it also changes from time to time and hour to hour. The numbers you are quoting are perfectly fine. Nothing to worry about what so ever.
  • schobert101
    schobert101 Posts: 218 Member
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    I'm an internal medicine doc. Not going to reiterate what everyone else has said because for once all the replies are informed and reasonable replies (as opposed to a lot of stuff I see on these boards). When I went into practice 30 years ago we always quoted the 140/90 as the cutoff. As people have become more aware of the dangers of hypertension they are recommending lower readings than in years past. The 'prehypertension' thing has only been in vogue for the last couple of years. Agree that a one time, non resting reading in a machine in Walmart should be taken only as a reason to recheck it at your doctors office a couple of times. Or if you retest in a machine make sure you rest quietly for 5-10 minutes prior and do repeated readings over several weeks time. As you are only 19 the 125 systolic reading may be considered a bit high but the single isolated reading under those circumstances can't be used to make any conclusions at this point.
  • jhoney8
    jhoney8 Posts: 43 Member
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    Your BP can also fluctuate several points in just a few minutes, depending on what you are doing, what you ate, stress, whatever. I get nervous at doctor's offices and so they take my BP when I get there and after I've been there for a bit and it can go down 10 points in that time. Take it again on your next few trips to drugstores or Walmart or wherever and see what happens. I also agree that 125/65 is just fine.
  • lisaap77
    lisaap77 Posts: 123 Member
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    120/80 is the "normal" mark like 98.7 is the "normal" temp. you can fluctuate in either direction and be just fine. Your BP will be different at different times of the day. Your fine.
  • NeuroticVirgo
    NeuroticVirgo Posts: 3,671 Member
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    Your not that much higher than 120, and your bottom number is just fine.
  • sarah307
    sarah307 Posts: 1,363 Member
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    you are fine hun :) .. crossing your legs, walking around...raises your blood pressure temporarily.. and everyone is different. 120/80 is a baseline. mine is always 98/60 !

    http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/blood-pressure/HI00043

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