Is it possible that my blood pressure was high because i got extremely nervous when at my jobs medical exam? -

Today I had a medical exam for a job i applied with, and I m 21 years old btw. I have never before had high blood pressure and i went to the doctor last maybe a year and a half ago and i was as fine as can be. However, i admit I am a bit of a worrier when it comes to things, I sometimes get anxious and really nervous.. I can t control it, I ve been to the doctor telling them this but that doesnt help, they just say to relax ( i have been to many and they all say the same thing) Anyways, Ill state some more facts that will maybe help in determing this. I woke up really early to get to the medical. at 3:45 AM after some maybe 5 hours or so of sleep. before i got there i did have a large cup of coffee to keep me awake. As the medical proceeded around 6 am, i began getting really nervous. The medical examiners were pretty strict so i think naturally we were all a bit nervous but me, I was very nervous. Now, i am not one that gets angry very often, my diet is very good, i drink plenty of water, i do get my excercise, i do not drink, i do not smoke, and i rarely eat meat and i stay away from salts and soft drinks. But aside from all these facts, this morning I was feeling very nervous for some reason, I was shaking a bit, i made a few mistakes when following directions, got some gaseuous cramps, and I could feel my heart beating and me breathing a bit harder as i waited my turn. When i got to them taking my blood pressure, they saw the big number was 151 ( dont remember the lower number) and said it was a bit high. I was shocket to be honest, so i assumed it was just a bit hjigh because i was extremely nervous and/or the caffeine from the coffee + the anxiety of passing combined. Is it possible that being really nervous can cause your blood pressure to read high ? ( Also i was shaking a bit as the man piut the strap around my arm, and when it got tight, i felt my pulse, beating really fast. I am a bit worried now as I do not want to deal with hypertension at 21. I am gonna go to the doctor when i am calm and try to get another exam. But could the nervousnous just have beent he reason why my blood pressure read so high?

It is possible that etreme nervousness may cause a raise in the blood pressure; which may get stabilised and come down when you relax for a second reading. But what causes this extreme nervousness is important to be eliminated by an ECG, investigating for a thyroid function test(T3, T4, TSH), diabetes etc., by a cardiologist, before concluding the same as functional for necessary treatment.

It is very possible that anxiety caused a brief spike in blood pressure.

Yes it could.... it could be anywhere from 140 to your 151 just by nerves

Certainly, the nervousness and the large cup of coffee could both raise your blood pressure. Likely the coffee caused the shakiness. You did not mention if you had eaten or not, but I presume not, which is also a factor in both the shakiness and the elevated pressure reading. Some mild meditation techniques designed to reduce nervousness (deep breathing and calm mind) will help you determine for sure if you have hypertension.

Yes, quot;white coat hypertensionquot;, but it sounds like you are generally a quot;worry wartquot; The length and detail of your question is a testament to that. That s ok, one is nervous about things they don t necessarily understand. A systolic of 151 is not critical and definitely can reflect an anxious moment. Something you can do is go to one of those automatic BP machines, drug stores often have them, and sit down for a few minutes to relax, then take your blood pressure calmly. Good luck.

Absolutely. Some people have what they call quot;White Coat Hypertensionquot; which basically means that when you re at the doctor and nervous and they check your blood pressure, it s always high, but if you check it at home or in the supermarket when you re relaxed it s completely normal. My blood pressure in the last year has ranged from 115/71 at home and resting to 155/99 while at the doctors office and really stressed out because I was missing work and I was at the doctors office because of anxiety attacks - so in short - YES ... nervousness and anxiety can make a HUGE swing in your blood pressure. It s not a bad idea to check it a few times when you re relaxed and alone at a CVS or something just to confirm - but based on the info you ve given it s very unlikely that you have high blood pressure. It was a mix of 1. lack of sleep (makes it go up), 2. caffeine (makes it go up), and 3. nervousness (makes it go up)... Viola!

You should take your BP at a drug store or buy a home monitor. The home monitors are accurate for the higher number. Then see your doctor. Make sure the BP is taken in your dominant arm. For most people that s their right arm of course. Not to alarm you, but all of the statistics on the harmful effects of high blood pressure are for blood pressures taken in doctors offices. So if you find you BP is much lower at home or anywhere other than the doctor s office you may still have a problem.