Blood pressure is one of the most important ways doctors check how healthy your heart is. Usually, it’s measured while you sit comfortably in a chair at the doctor’s office. But new research shows that this common method might not give the full picture of your heart health.
A recent study, presented at the American Heart Association’s Hypertension Scientific Sessions 2023, found that checking blood pressure while lying flat could reveal hidden dangers. This new information highlights that how our body controls blood pressure is more complex than we thought and that it might be important to check blood pressure in more than one position.
The study was led by Duc M. Giao, a medical student from Harvard Medical School. Giao and his team looked at the health records of over 11,000 adults from a time between 1987 and 1989.
These people had their blood pressure measured while lying down, and researchers followed their health for nearly 30 years. What they found was surprising: about 16% of the people had high blood pressure while lying down, even though their blood pressure was normal when sitting.
This discovery is important because people who had high blood pressure while lying down had a greater chance of having serious heart problems. They were more likely to suffer from heart disease, heart failure, stroke, and were at a higher risk of dying earlier.
Even those who only had high blood pressure when lying down—but normal readings while sitting—still faced these serious risks. This shows that blood pressure problems can sometimes be hidden if we only check it in a sitting position.
So what does this mean for regular people? According to Giao, if you are at higher risk of heart disease or stroke, you should think about having your blood pressure measured in different positions, not just while sitting.
Checking blood pressure while lying down could give a clearer idea of how your heart is doing. It might also help you and your doctor manage your blood pressure better during daily activities and even while you are sleeping.
The study mostly looked at middle-aged adults, making it especially important for people in that age group to pay attention.
Although more research is needed to find out if the same is true for older adults, the findings suggest that changing how we measure blood pressure could make a big difference. It’s a simple change that could help catch hidden risks early and possibly prevent serious health problems later.
This study challenges the usual way doctors check blood pressure and suggests that lying-down measurements should be included in regular checkups.
Doing so could help doctors spot heart health risks earlier and give patients a better chance at preventing heart attacks, strokes, and early death. It’s a reminder that small changes in how we monitor our health can make a big difference in saving lives.
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