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White coat stress is a common problem. And now, research is showing that it may increase your blood pressure and your health risk.

 

Have you ever gone to the doctor and felt your blood pressure rise just sitting there? White coat fear is very common and it’s understandable too. After all, doctors deliver the worst news possible. They also perform tests that are invasive, embarrassing, and sometimes outright painful. Doctors also tend to comment on other parts of your life that other people stay silent about. This all makes a visit to the doctor stressful. And it turns out that it may increase your health risk too.

 

The Dangers of Hypertension

Around 100 million people in the US have hypertension. This is a problem because it’s a serious health risk. High blood pressure can increase your risk of heart disease and stroke. It can damage your arteries, heart, kidneys, and your eyes. It can also cause dementia or impaired cognitive function. That’s why it’s important that you see your doctor if you think you have hypertension. However, there’s no evidence that visiting your doctor may in itself put you at risk of this health risk.

 

The White Coat Effect

Many people are nervous or outright scared when they go to the doctor. And this has a physical effect. It’s common for people to have higher blood pressure at the doctor than they do at home. This is often blamed on the white coat effect, though there may be other factors at play too. Inaccuracies in home measuring and time of day may also affect the readings you get in your doctor’s office. However, there is now evidence that this reaction may be a health risk.

 

A recent study has revealed that untreated hypertension at the doctor’s office may be dangerous. It’s associated with a 36 percent increased risk of heart disease. It may make you more likely to experience premature death by 33 percent. And it doubles your risk of dying from heart disease. These are all serious statistics and they’re unexpected too. Most people don’t think that fear of the doctor is a problem. But there are two serious side effects that can come from this fear.

 

The Dangers of White Coat Fear

If you’re nervous at the doctor and have high blood pressure, there are two possible outcomes. The first is that your doctor starts treating you for hypertension. This means that your doctor will believe that your blood pressure is higher than it is. This may result in you being over-medicated. Over medication is a problem because blood pressure medication can cause unpleasant and downright dangerous side effects.

 

The second issue that can arise is under treatment. You may believe that your hypertension is due to fear. But in fact, your anxiety might be masking an underlying and very dangerous problem. So basically, you could go years without the treatment you need. And this could have a very serious effect on your heart health.

 

These dangers make self-monitoring at home incredibly important.

 

The Takeaway

Monitoring your blood pressure at home is an effective way to accurately assess your health. It’s easy to do, inexpensive, and you can monitor your blood pressure over the long term. This will give you an accurate picture of your heart health. And if you notice signs of hypertension, you will be able to give your doctor accurate data, without the white coat confounding the results.

 

If you monitor your blood pressure at home, then you need to know what you’re looking for. When you take your blood pressure, your top reading should be lower than 130 millimeters of mercury (mm HG). And your bottom reading should be below 80 mm Hg. If your readings are above these markers regularly, you need to visit your doctor for advice.

 

 

 

If you’re concerned about a health risk, try using HomeLab to keep track of your condition and any preventative measures you take. And if you see signs of a significant problem, you should check with your doctor as soon as possible.

 

 

Tags: Health risk, hypertension