Should Your Blood Pressure Be Taken Lying Down?
Recent data¹ presented at the American Heart Association Hypertension Scientific Sessions from a long-term study has shown that there’s always something to learn, even with modern medicine and the technological advances we have enjoyed. This long-term study consisted of about 11,000 patients and began in the late 1980s. The thinking behind this study is that not all cases of high blood pressure will be found when blood pressure readings are taken sitting. Indeed, this was true, with approximately 16% of participants showing high blood pressure while lying down but not while sitting.
The data suggests that a blood pressure reading while patients sit and then lie down could be more valuable in evaluating heart disease risk than blood pressure readings with patients sitting up alone.
“Participants who had high blood pressure while seated and supine had a 1.6 times higher risk of developing coronary heart disease; a 1.83 times higher risk of developing heart failure; a 1.86 times higher risk of stroke; a 1.43 times higher risk of overall premature death; and a 2.18 times higher risk of dying from coronary heart disease,” according to the American Heart Association’s website.
Does This Mean That All Blood Pressure Readings Should Be Taken Lying Down?
Yes, possibly. With the advances in diagnostics in cardiology over the past several decades and our ever-improving ability to stratify cardiovascular risk, high blood pressure is just one component we use to evaluate our patients. As such, it will remain at the primary care physician’s or cardiologist’s discretion to decide how best to take their patient’s blood pressure. That said, this is good food for thought and offers an option when we believe it will show a clinically significant difference.
Other cardiovascular risk markers also remain extremely important to catch heart disease early. These markers include high cholesterol, type-2 diabetes, waist size, obesity status, and sleep apnea, to name a few.
What You Can Do to Keep Your Heart as Healthy as Possible
Any cardiologist will tell you that prevention of heart disease is key, no matter how advanced our technology and medical or procedural interventions. Patients must prioritize a healthy diet high in fiber, unsaturated fats, and lean protein and low in saturated fat and refined sugars. Exercise is also essential, and while we understand that everyone has different abilities, you must work with your primary care physician or cardiologist to ensure that you are elevating your heart rate regularly every week within the bounds of your abilities.
Lastly, managing stress is a crucial part of long-term heart health. Between seemingly unending bad news and societal and financial pressures, stress levels have collectively increased, and unfortunately, we are seeing the results of that in our offices.
One last note is that if you have any of the risk factors associated with heart disease, you have a family history of heart disease, or you are reaching middle age, it’s essential to speak to a cardiologist like ours at Nevada Cardiology Associates to start a screening program.
We look forward to seeing you in our office and caring for your heart. As a team, we can prevent future cardiovascular issues or treat any existing problems quickly and effectively to keep you and your heart healthy now and long into the future.