If you’ve ever been to a doctor’s office, you probably had your blood pressure checked while sitting down.
However, new research suggests that laying flat during the test could tell us more about our risk for heart-related problems like strokes or heart attacks.
Doctors and scientists were surprised by this and said they might need to rethink how they perform these tests in the future.
Why It Matters
Blood pressure checks are important because high blood pressure can lead to serious heart issues. Usually, doctors use a special arm cuff to measure your blood pressure when you’re sitting.
They use two numbers: one for when your heart beats (systolic) and one for when it’s resting (diastolic).
Doctors have long said that the best way to measure blood pressure is using a 24-hour monitor throughout the day.
This is difficult, though, because nobody wants to wear an uncomfortable cuff all day and night.
This new study makes people wonder if lying down for the test could be as good as the 24-hour check for spotting risks.
What the Study Showed
The research looked at over 11,000 people who were part of a bigger study that’s been going on for many years. These folks had their blood pressure checked both sitting and lying down. They were split into four groups:
- Normal blood pressure in both positions
- High blood pressure only when sitting
- High blood pressure only when lying down
- High blood pressure in both positions
Over time, the people with normal blood pressure in both positions had the lowest risk for heart problems, while those with high blood pressure in both positions had a high risk.
The researchers were surprised to find that people with high blood pressure only when lying down had nearly the same risk as those who had it in both positions.
People with high blood pressure only when lying down were more likely to have heart-related issues and even a higher chance of dying from them, compared to those with normal blood pressure.
While the findings are exciting and new, experts agree that more studies are needed before doctors start changing how they do blood pressure tests.
One thing to note is that people in the study were lying down for about 20 minutes before the test, which is longer than what usually happens at a doctor’s visit.
So, for now, sitting blood pressure tests will remain the standard. However, this new research hints that lying down could give more accurate readings and help spot health risks sooner.
It’s a simple enough check that you might even be able to do at home to better understand your own health.
This new approach might catch people who don’t know they are at risk and need treatment. It might also mean that some people who are currently being treated don’t need to be.
But until more research is done, the sit-down blood pressure check isn’t going anywhere just yet.
If you care about high blood pressure, please read studies about vitamin impacts on high blood pressure people need to know, and how to manage high blood pressure and diabetes with healthy foods.
For more health information, please see recent studies about the best and worst foods for high blood pressure, and modified traditional Chinese cuisine can lower blood pressure.
