Commonly used arm positions can overestimate blood pressure readings: study

Blood pressure measurements at the doctor are the bane of my (medical) existence. Mix minor white coat syndrome with time blindness and you suddenly have high blood pressure because you barreled up the stairs to the second floor office moments before the nurse took a reading.

My doctor was initially befuddled because by all other metrics I am in good health, but it’s amazing how you can go from 90/55 at home to 140/75 at the office. We do the measurement at the end of the appointment now to varying success.

Literally the first year of medical school, we were taught to let the patient rest for at least 5 minutes before taking vitals, while also asking about recent exercises or caffeine intake. This reduces the likelihood of a mistake, but white coat hypertension is still a thing. That's why we also teach them/relatives how to correctly measure BP on their own and ask them to measure it at home, preferably after waking up before eating anything.