White coat hypertension is when a person’s blood pressure goes up at the doctor’s office but is normal at home or in other places.
This can be confusing because it may look like someone has high blood pressure when they really don’t.
The name comes from the white coats that doctors usually wear.
Some people feel nervous when they see a doctor, and this anxiety can cause a temporary rise in blood pressure.
Studies show that about 20 to 30 out of every 100 people with high blood pressure at the clinic actually have normal blood pressure at home.
This rise in blood pressure is caused by the body’s stress response. When you feel nervous, your body makes stress hormones like adrenaline.
These hormones make your heart beat faster and tighten your blood vessels. That makes your blood pressure go up. It’s part of the body’s natural “fight or flight” reaction to stress.
White coat hypertension may not be as risky as having high blood pressure all the time, but it still needs attention. Sometimes, it can be a sign of another condition called masked hypertension. That’s when your blood pressure is normal at the doctor’s but high during your everyday life. If untreated, this can lead to heart problems over time.
The first step in treating white coat hypertension is to find out whether the high blood pressure is real or just caused by stress. This usually means checking your blood pressure at home using a reliable device. Keeping track of your readings and showing them to your doctor can help figure out what’s really going on.
Another way to check for white coat hypertension is ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). This test uses a small device that you wear for 24 hours. It checks your blood pressure at different times during the day and night. This gives a clear picture of your blood pressure when you are at home, at work, or sleeping.
If it turns out that your high readings are only happening at the doctor’s office, the next step is to deal with the anxiety that causes them. Simple relaxation methods like deep breathing, meditation, or mindfulness can help calm your nerves. Practicing these techniques often can make them more helpful when you need them.
Some people find it useful to talk to a therapist. Cognitive-behavioral therapy, or CBT, helps you change the way you think and feel about stressful situations, like doctor visits. CBT can teach you tools to manage your fear and stay calm.
Living a healthy lifestyle can also help. Regular exercise, eating well, getting enough sleep, and cutting back on alcohol and caffeine can all make your heart healthier and reduce anxiety. These steps can make your blood pressure more stable over time.
In some cases, medicine may be needed. If the anxiety or blood pressure is hard to control, your doctor might suggest medicine to lower it or help you feel less anxious.
In short, white coat hypertension means that stress at the doctor’s office causes a short-term spike in blood pressure. It’s important to find out if your blood pressure is really high or just high when you’re nervous.
With the right steps, including checking your blood pressure at home, relaxing, changing your habits, and sometimes taking medicine, you can get a better picture of your health and protect your heart.
If you care about high blood pressure, please read studies about unhealthy habits that may increase high blood pressure risk, and drinking green tea could help lower blood pressure.
For more information about high blood pressure, please see recent studies about what to eat or to avoid for high blood pressure, and 12 foods that lower blood pressure.
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