Causes of Fluctuating Blood Pressure
Fluctuating blood pressure is something that happens to everyone, and can occur due to a variety of conditions such as what position a person is in (are they sitting down? standing? lying down), what time of the day it is, the size and tightness of the pressure cuff used during a doctor’s visit, and so on.
However, when you have high blood pressure, the periods when your blood pressure is high can cause some problems, especially if your diastolic pressure (aka the lower number in a blood pressure reading) is constantly above 90 (a person qualifies as having high blood pressure if their blood pressure is 140/90 or higher).
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There’s not much doctors can do though about fluctuating blood pressure, as while a number of factors such as obesity, unhealthy diet, family history, age, inactivity, and race (African-Americans are more likely to develop high blood pressure than other races) can contribute to increasing one’s risk of getting high blood pressure, the causes for it are still unknown.
At best, the doctor can only monitor your blood pressure for possible causes and to determine at what times during the day and night the blood pressure peaks. In some cases, fluctuating blood pressure can be brought about either by taking a new medication, or by taking one that doesn’t last for twenty-four hours.
The best solution I would recommend if you have this problem is to continuously monitor your blood pressure. People with high blood pressure are usually supposed to have their blood pressure monitored once a month by a doctor, but if your blood pressure is fluctuating a good deal, he or she will probably have you keep track of it three times a day in the morning, afternoon, as well as at night.
It’s recommended that the first monitoring time be in the morning after you just wake up and before you take your blood pressure medication or eat or drink anything. I’m going to stress again that if you have fluctuating high blood pressure, you should definitely see your doctor, because the periods where your blood pressure is at its highest puts you at the same risk level for strokes and heart attacks as someone with uncontrolled high blood pressure.
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I’m a 55 year old male. I’m active in the construction business for the last 35 years.
I recently found out I have high blood pressure.
In the morning it’s 130/80 or below and in the afternoon it fluctuates from 135/80 to 160/100.
I do smoke,but don’t drink alcohol. I do though drink about 4 to 5 diet sodas a day. I’ve lost 18 lbs over the last 3 months. It seems that my blood pressure was better with more weight on.
It doesn’t make much sense. I’m 6’0″ tall and weigh 224 lbs. I am physical active everyday and love playing tennis on the weekends.
Any suggestions on the above blood pressure?
Regards,
Dan.
Hi Casey,
In fact, there’s nothing much doctors can do on your fluctuating blood pressure. You just need to monitor your blood pressure often.
You MUST cut down your smoking. If possible, quit as soon as possible.
Smoking, by itself, is already a major risk factor for every type of cardiovascular disease (CVD). On the other hand, high blood pressure can lead to heart attack and stroke. So, if you are a smoker and you have high blood pressure, the combined risks for heart attack, stroke and CVD jump up by a huge factor and increases much more than by simply adding the both risks together.
To your health,
Alvin
Usually my blood pressure is 100/70 to 110/75 but occasionly it spikes to 129/80. I am a 50 year old female who exercises regularly and am in fairly decent shape. I eat a healthy diet for the most part. I smoke.
you should stop smoking and regulerly yoga and exercise that will affect your blood pressure and finaly it will become normal
My b.p. is usually in the 90/70 range. Last week, it was 145/100 at the supermarket. Waited 5 mins and it went down to 136/85, then another couple of mins it dropped to 129/80. I am 61 yr old female who walks daily (3 miles) and am in fairly decent shape. No smoke but do drink about 2 glasses of red a night. Is this fluctuation to be dealt with?
I’m a 54 y/o white male, non smoker, occasional light drinker, & my weight is roughly 20 pounds over ideal. I’m not on b/p meds.
I find that sodium intake REALLY affects my pressure and drives it upward when my intake is above roughly 1100 mg. I use an inexpensive, $45, software called FitDay to monitor my physical health. Its really helpful as it does all the calculations of sodium, etc.
Working out for 45 minutes on a treadmill also has the reverse effect if I do that several day sin a row…. it pushes my pressure downward.
Since I take my b/p about five times a day to watch it closely, I see it fluctuate between “Ideal” (less than 120/80) up into “Stage One” (above 140 / 90) and now & then into the low “Stage Two” levels.
I”m only posting this to show others what is happening with my own problem. My pressure WANTS to rise, but I keep acting in proactive methods to push it down.
As a result, my b/p shown as a chart is up and down and up and down.
I’ve talked to three docs about this, including one cardiologist, and all three say medication is not the answer. “Lifestyle” changes are what they insist on.
I am 70 years old and have flactuating blood pressure. It changes nearly every day.Help
I am only 16 years old and i have flucuating blood pressure.
It will go from extremely high to extremely low to the point of passing out. i have been in hospital a few times because of it but everything i try dosnt work.
Every time im angry or upset or stressed out my blood pressure goes ballistic- I turn all red and my heart hurts….
And then after a while it will go bak to really low and ill pass out and feel extremly weak.
What could be wrong?
i am only 16!!!
Jessie,
Have you figured anything out with this? My husband has the SAME problem! He’s only 25, and has already had 6 heart surgeries to try and remedy it, but nothing seems to help.
We have watched his blood pressure go from normal to extremely high and then to extremely low. He faints multiple times a day because of it and he can’t work because he’s a liability on any company.
I know you posted this a long time ago, I’m just desperate to find answers!
Thanks! And I hope you’re doing better now.
to jessie ask your doc about Adrenal gland disorders.
Dear Jessie,
I am not a doctor, but I have lived with people that suffer from this same condition since I was born. Now my mother is dealing with this daily and our whole family is taking a toll due to the risk of anything more serious taking her life.
If I may… I have requested referrals for her to be seen by an endocrinologist (to check on her hormones, which tend to create or suppress mood swings, and the condition of the glands that release the chemicals of the stress reaction in the body), and to the much dreaded psychologist (to evaluate her psychological and physical ability to manage anger, which is another source of spikes in blood pressure). I know these are not very popular options for anyone, let alone a 16 year old, but it has helped her, and it may help you too…
Everything we think affects us physically and emotionally, and our physical and emotional conditions affect our blood pressure…
Hope you can find a good combination of resources to channel your stress and manage your blood pressure.
Best to you.
Crystal.
I have high blood pressure.I recently started going to the pain clinic for injection to releive arthritis pain can this cause high blood pressure?
I’m no professional, but I have definietly noticed that pain will make your blood pressure go up. If you manage your pain your blood pressure will drop a bit. ( I suffer from migraines and fibromyalgia. When my pain in high – my BP goes up, when the pain subsides, my BP goes back to normal. I hope this helps
My BP was 104/68 this morning, 2 hours later is was 198/104 and in 30 more mn reduced to 148/82. We are trying a very light dose of amlodipine. I tend to have White Coat Syndrome and other times when I had docs push these drugs on me, I have bottomed out around 80/60. But this very high reading bothered me a lot this morning.
I am 65 male ,had my pressure taken this morning while at dentist, it was a surprise as did not expect dentist to do blood pressure, and it was 170/104 way higher than my normal readings which usually range from 135/86 to 116/70. I’m probably 10 lbs over where i should be
I don’t take meds but thinking of it as my exercise routine is not that good…i walk a lot in spring and fall but do not like sweating so not much in summer and winter seems too cold
Be careful at the dentist I landed up in the hospital after I got a tooth pulled because the doctor never asked me if I had high BP. There is Epinephrine in Novocain and that causes BP to go way up in some people. Mine was 220/120 and it also caused my white blood count to go way low.
I’m 19 and have the same problem as Jessie. I’ve actually fractured a tooth because of this. My doctors can’t tell me anything.
I’m 33 yrs old and I have recently started experiencing fluctuating bp. I do not have high blood pressure but for the past 2wks I have had instances of my bp rising to 140/80 then right back down to 117/73.. I start to sweat and get nervous.. Doctor says the EKG and xrays were normal.. I am not a smoker and have never drank any alcoholic beverage. What could this be?
did you have a stress test? I found blood cots in my brain in 2009. it saved my life.
I have highly fluctuating BP..from 150/100 to 80/60 in an hour..I am being tested for adrenal problems and having a cardiac workup. I also have extreme anxiety. I have been passing all of this for years off as anxiety. I am miserable..It has gotten bad and makes me feel so out of control. I’m scared. I am 46…smoke..which I will be quitting cuz it is too scary..
What do you think?I question the fact that bloodpressure can change in 10 seconds from a high person to a normal person. I have been monitoring my pressure and it can go from 125 over 82 to 160 over 100 in a few hours. Seems redundant to keep checking over and over as it seems to go down in a few minutes. I am 51 with 6’1 and 230 (consistent weight) and have never felt better. I am taking a variety of health food solutions and walk a few miles 3 times a week. I like my red wine but quit smoking over 4 years ago. I am not interested in taking medications for this but whatis the answer?
I sometimes get a pain in the middle of my chest..kind of a sharp pain and then my blood pressure goes up to 150 over 100, pulse 80. It them goes down in a few minutes and the pain subsides. Normal blood pressure the rest of the time. 64 yrs young slightly over weight and active. Any ideas what causes this?
What do you think?My blood pressuure is crazy.It starts in the morning at 18 something over 10 something.It has gone as high as 212 over 121,but it is all over the place all the time.Whatsup?
What do you think?
Hey … Steve … I am experiencing the same thing… had near normal ,…. then … was shocked to hear the doctor say 218 / 108… could not believe it…
yesterday was about 178/90 …now … it went LOW… last reading was 105/56/65
Any comments?
… the doctors are always “in flight” during visits…. had to pin them
down to an issue that they admit is threatening.. I do have many bad days otherwise with a few health issues… but the blood pressure was not this errratic….
I am 27 and have suffered from anxiety attacks since i was 19. Have also recently been diagnosed with SVT. I have a high heart rate most of the time so I take metoprolol 25mg. I also take Xanax .25mg for the anxiety. My blood pressure usually is around 110 over 75. But in the last few weeks I have seen it go as low as 89 over 63 or 102 over 40 and as high as 148 over 102. I have been taking the same low dose of both the metoprolol and xanax for months now, so I am pretty sure it is not related to the meds. I am usually calm and sitting when I get these reading. And though I am dizzy alot of times (probably from anxiety) I usually feel pretty normal when I get these strange readings. Any ideas?
@ Cheryl, Your blood pressure seems totally fine. You have perfect normal blood pressure. And as for what you considered a spike in Blood pressure 129/80 is really not bad at all. If it stayed like that all the time while at rest you would want to monitor it for high blood pressure, but for it to go up sometimes to that is totally normal.
@siujo It seems like it may be just from exertion of walking around, but i would let my doctor know as soon as possible, just to be sure.
@Jessie and XO Yall should see a doctor as soon as possible.
valerian root is a good stress reliever, take one before bed or whenever extremely stressed. or try cammomile tea which also helps the body relax.
my BP is all over the place IT is caused by stress what is a good stress releiver?
My doc says that blood pressure is controlled by the mind, unless of course you have some underlying health problem (kidney failure, clogged artery, thyroid, or oddly enough gallbladder issues). For those of you that have anxiety issues, your BP can fluctuate wildly.
I have anxiety and panic attacks. If I’m not medicated properly with xanax, etc. then an extremely stressful situation can cause my BP to go up to 160 / 117 or so. When I know that I may be faced with a stressful situation, I just make sure that I take an extra xanax in advance. If your pressure gets high you need to lie down for awhile until it goes down. And if you think you have a problem you should have a home BP test machine.
They say that blood pressure issues have no symptoms but that is completely false. I can tell when my BP goes up and down. For those of you who’s BP is going really low, it is possible that you are dehydrated.
i have heart disease. (aortic (titanium Valve) my heart tries to go into svts had oblation 13 years ago. my bp is normally 110/97. but when im working i sometimes spike up to 165/110. i stay home for a day im ok. then 3 days later the same thing happens. i go to er they say youre fine i leave the hosp my bp is 133/111. i think its my heart, the cardiologists think im a hypochondriac! im 46 & starting menopause. could that be it? im at a loss here. i love being informed this is driving me crazy mentally!
i Have problem, sometime my BP is low sometime high, and heartbeat, headach, i consult to doctor, reason is thyroid problem, i want to know BP up and down sometime 120/80, 11/75, 150/84. please suggest
I am 39 years, I don’t drink or do drugs. Why do I keep on getting high blood pressure? I do take medicine for high blood pressure?
I am concerned about my husband’s blood pressure. He has had heart valve replacement. His BP vries from high (160/90) to low (90/60). Should I be concerned?
I am a female, 40 years young, smoke but not over weight. The last two days my blood pressure has been all over the place. It has been as high as 218 over 110 to 154 over 88. I have NEVER had blood pressure issues. I went to an urgent care facility where they told me my blood pressure was a little high and pulse ox was off but basically sent me home saying if I experience shortness of breath again to come back in. My husband, who works away from home a lot is really concerned. I dont know what to do. I have an appoitment with my regular doctor in five days! I dont know to go to the emergency room or just relax and wait the five days till I can get in to see my physican. I am a mother of three and I have never been this concerned about my own health ever. Any advice?
I am 64 and have a real fluctuating blood pressure. i am now 2 days into ramipril, 5 mgs, and even then my pressure skyrocketed to 171/98.
I am slim, 128 lbs, 5feet 5inches, do not smoke or drink, play tennis and excercise.
I get so upset as my dad had a stroke at 62, and he never smoked or drank and was slim.
What shall I do??? Shall I have a 24 hr monitor and stress test?
Thanks
What do you think?
Most of those who have contributed to this site have nothing to worry about compared with me. My Systolic pressure goes as high as 190 first thing in the morning and can crash to 75 two hours later. Now that really IS ‘fluctuating’.
My doctor insists on treating me for ‘high blood pressure’ but I’ve asked her what’s the use of lowering it when it’s already down to 75?
I’ve now asked her if I could pay privately to see someone who specialises in ‘fluctuating blood pressure’ rather than just ‘high’ or ‘low’. But IS there such a person?
I’m 39 years old and never noticed any high blood presure issues (no history) until I recently have had some anxiety. I renewed my gym memebership & a trainer took my blood pressure & it read 151/120. She said “we are not working out today, come back Friday.” That was on a Monday, all week I was having Anxiety thinking that there were health issues. I took a second blood test on Friday & it was still high 150/111. That evening I went to urgent care and my blood pressure was up to 171/105. After sitting there for an hour it went down to 131/86. Sh suggested that I should change my diet slightyly and didi put me on a low dose of BP meds. I also purchased baby asprin. That next day I took my 4 year old son to a museum and as we were walking my feet went numb. I took myself to the emergency room and yes my blood pressure was high 145/95 but the doctor didn’t seem to be concerened at all. They did blood work and found nothing wrong with me (I’m 6-1, 205lbs & workout 3-5 times a week & look fit). That following Monday I went to the my General Physician and he suggested that I see a therapist for my anxiety. My reading was 125/82. I do have a lot on my plate – I recently went through a tough divorce, own a business that is not doing well, owe a ton of bills and trying to balance my life as a single father. I have been monitoring my BP 2-4 times a day with a wrist machine I purchased. My ranges are 98/60 to 156/109. And in general they average around 127/87. It seems as if my blood pressure is indicadive to my anxiety. I’m not on any anxiety meds. but I am considering it. The high blood pressure readings increase my anxiety thus I become somewhat unproductive. Also my right side of my chest aches (like a pulled muscle) when I have general anxiety. What are your thoughts?
I’m 23 female and am currently having 24 hr BP monitoring. The highest it got to was 183/101 and the lowest was 134/73. Is this classed as high blood pressure? What could be the cause for it varying so much when I was doing the same thing all day? And within half an hour
I have high fluctuating bp and i am an RN. I am on a lot of antihypertensives. If my bp is 180/100 and the current meds are not controlling it. I take my evening meds early and the Doxepin which also drives it down I wait an hour if it is not down than I drive to the ER. I only go to the desk and ask for a bp check and er will do this for free and if it is come down some I sit in the waiting room for one hour to see if it is down to under 150. if it is than i go home. if it rises to 200 than i will be admitted to er and see an er doc. as 200 is not good and is danger territory. Also I take my bp at least two times a day. If I have dizziness or shortness of breath or feel shaky this means to me something is wrong and check my bp. If my bp is low I hold my beta blocker until my bp is normal and my heart rate is at least 56. I try to do eliptical for 30 min a day and strength trng at least two times a week. I limit salt intake.
my blood pressure fluctuates differently than what i have read here…if anyone has any suggestions please let me know.
i’m a smoker, 38 years old and my blood pressure is normal…i’ve tested it WHILE smoking and it was 121 / 80…the problem i’m having is that when i’m lying or sitting down my blood pressure is either normal, or slightly below normal. however, when i stand up or walk it drops to WAY below normal, sometimes 80/40…i get very dizzy, and have fainted on one occassion. my doctor says my blood pressure is fine and envies me for it as his is not.
does anyone have any ideas what i can do to stabalize my BP to a standard so that i no longer have dizzy or fainting spells?
I had never had high blood pressure, but it runs in my family. I am 38, 5’8, 130 pounds and do a light work out with weights five times a week. I do not smoke, but I do drink more alcohol than what is recommended for a female. Though, the weird thing is that seems to have no effect on my bp readings since it is often low or normal while drinking or the day after and high at other times. However, I was recently diagnosed with thyroid issues, and personally, I am convinced there is a some link here, along with a sodium sensitivity. Now, like I said, I never had blood pressure problems. But, after starting Synthroid, I started having high bp readings at the doctor’s office – 150/90 or so. So, I immediately quit drinking caffeine and saw a cardialogist who recommended a diet consuming less than 2000 mg of sodium a day. My BP now at its highest is 140/91 (and that is not frequent) and 111/73 at its lowest. The average is probably somewhere around 128/84 or so. My cardioligist still wanted to put me on a low dose bp medicine, but I’m not buying it. Afterall, I went to him concerned about 150/90. I would have never even seen him regarding bp readings of 128/84. With this said, I want to point out a VERY valuable lesson I have learned which he even said might have made my bp readings seem higher than they are. You are supposed to wait 5 minutes after sitting still before taking your bp reading. But, how many of us are doing that? So, if I sit and immediately take mine, it is usually high around 138/88. If I take it again immediately, it will have dropped to 132/85. And so on. In this case, it is not fluctuating bp, but instead how long you have been sitting there. Also, I see high bp readings during my menstrual cycle. This is most likely because I don’t take pain medicines and pain cause bp spikes. ?Anyway, just wanted to point out there bp readings do change rapidly throughout the day, so it isn’t necessarily something to be frightened by.
I would like to say nearly everyone’s comments hat helped!!!
I have had blood pressure issues along with other health issues. Most doctors assume it is anxiety and send me on my way. Used to have a lot of problems with palpitations and shortness of breath and etc… Acebutolol 100 mg am and pm. Lowered my heart rate. There are times I have low readings of 90/55, Then there are times where my blood pressure is 150/105.
For example today my blood pressure was nice and low, then all of a sudden it jumped to 145/103 It scares me. Also have had irregular heart rates recorded on blood pressure machine.
Dizziness and feeling faint and whole whack of other symptoms and the doctors shrug there shoulders and not sure what to make of it, with endless ECG done along with other tests. 35 years old with a young family. This scares me, have no answers…
I am 18 and have extremely high bp, my docs told me its from to much salt intake, to much caffine to to much soda, and energy drinks, and frozen foods and I used to smoke, and not exercise, it is all about what you eat and put into your body that cause your high bp, if you do any of those I extremely urge you to stop, the docs told me I’m lucky I caught on early or else I would not make it to 50.