One isolated reading doesn’t confirm high or low BP. Find a new MD if they want to immediately place you on meds. Elevated BP is diagnosed from multiple readings, especially if there are no obvious reasons.
BP can also be too low and cause pooling of blood in chambers of the heart. Which can sometimes cause a clot. Having a low continuous diastolic number, in older individuals is now considered a dangerous precursor to potential pooling of blood in a chamber.
Messing around with ones electrolytes can be dangerous.Or one could drink too much water and temporarily dilute out their lytes and cause a false BP reading. Dehydration can also cause a false lreading.
Drinking 8 glass of water a day is no longer a recommendation for all. Urine color is most often the indicator of water needs in otherwise healthy individuals. Although kidney issues may cause that not to be true.
One reading may or may not give a true BP average and BP variations over the course of a day are not uncommon. Sleep issues? Actual BP is best determined by a MD who takes into account multiple variables. Recently I went thru a couple week period of elevated BP, and took multiple reading through out the day with the same results. Then mysteriously it reverted to normal.
Body position and cuff elevation can also cause reading errors.
Last edited by battue; 07/31/22.
