Ask a doctor on the topic of General medicine

Blood pressure

September 28, 2012 | 15,00 EUR | answered by Dr. med. Frauke Gehring

Hello,

I think I need reassurance. I am at my wits' end. I suffer from an anxiety and panic disorder.
Months ago, I bought a wrist blood pressure monitor from Omron at the pharmacy. My pharmacist said it was very accurate. I have occasionally measured my blood pressure, which was around 95/60 late in the evenings and around 106/67 during the day...even after exercising, it would drop back to that level after a few minutes.

However, the day before yesterday, out of nowhere, I started feeling unwell and a panic arose in me. It was already evening, and my blood pressure was 119/75. This was unusual for me, and it made me even more anxious. It even went up to 125/80 at one point, even though I was sitting calmly.
I know these values are supposed to be normal, but they were not normal for me. I have had this fear for two days now and I am not able to calm down. I'm afraid to move around because I'm worried my blood pressure will shoot up again...when I'm calm and try to relax, it goes below 120. But as soon as I move, it spikes again. Today, I went shopping in a panic, and when I measured my blood pressure at home, it was even at 130/85. Since I'm not used to this blood pressure, I'm terrified of having a stroke or heart attack. Can that happen with these values? I am completely exhausted.

I am due to get my period in a few days, could that also cause an increase in blood pressure?

Regards

As for my personal information, I am a 31-year-old female, my cholesterol is 197, and my fasting blood sugar is around 86. I weigh 54 kilos.

Dr. med. Frauke Gehring

Hello,

I'm sorry that you have such a wrong impression of what's happening in your body, and therefore have such fear!

The perfect blood pressure at your age is 120/80. Values below that are quite low, which is healthy but can make you very tired and weak. That's why your body is happy when it gets a little higher through exercise! After all, this way all organs are better supplied with blood. During exertion or excitement, the pressure may easily rise to 160/100, and it does for most of us without causing harm. Only in the long term, so 24 hours a day, would it be harmful.

Even for you, the pressure may, and should, rise at times, because of your strong heart and arteries! That's why exercise is so healthy. We need a change between fast and slow pulse, high and low pressure, to maintain a robust circulation and good defense function. Everything is perfect.

Best regards,
Dr. Frauke Höllering, specialist in internal and general medicine