Monitoring Blood Pressure

Monitoring Blood Pressure to Help Manage Your Illness

What It Is

Blood pressure (or BP) is the force of your blood pushing against the walls of your arteries.

Why It Matters

People with ME/CFS and Long COVID often have abnormal blood pressure patterns, such as:

Hypotension: low blood pressure, usually below 90/60 mmHg at rest.
Hypertension: high blood pressure, usually above 140/90 mmHg at rest.
Orthostatic hypotension: blood pressure drops by more than 20/10 mmHg within three minutes of standing up.
Neurally mediated hypotension (NMH): blood pressure drops after standing for a prolonged period of time, or after a stressful or emotional event.

POTS (Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome) is one the most common comorbidities of ME and Long-COVID. POTS is characterized by the body’s inability to properly regulate blood flow and pressure.
- POTS is marked by a significant increase in heart rate immediately or within 10 minutes of standing (sometimes sitting upright) with no significant drop in blood pressure.
- Some people with POTS can develop hypotension (a drop in blood pressure) with prolonged standing (more than three minutes upright).

These abnormal blood pressure patterns can indicate underlying problems with your autonomic nervous system and cause symptoms such as dizziness, fainting, blurred vision, headache, nausea, fatigue, tremors (hands or body shakes), excessive sweating, and cognitive impairment.

How to Use It

For people with ME/CFS or Long COVID, Blood Pressure (BP) can be used to help with pacing and illness management in a few ways:

BP as a Sign of Dehydration

Low blood pressure can be a sign you need to add fluids and electrolytes.

Anecdotally, some people with ME/CFS and Long COVID will feel better and may sometimes acutely regain some energy by taking electrolytes (available as powders in many grocery stores, drug stores, online, and health food stores).

BP to diagnose POTS
(Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome)

POTS is characterized by a significant increase in heart rate and usually light-headedness upon sitting upright or standing, with no or little change in BP. Measuring blood pressure and heart rate while lying down and then upon standing is a standard diagnostic procedure and can be done at home before getting the formal test from a doctor.

BP to manage POTS

If you have POTS, maintaining stable blood pressure may help manage symptoms and assess the effectiveness of treatments such as increased sodium intake, compression garments, and exercise, which are aimed at improving blood volume and circulation.

How You Measure It

To measure blood pressure, most people use an electronic blood pressure monitor.

It is measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg), and expressed as two numbers: the systolic pressure (the pressure when your heart contracts) and the diastolic pressure (the pressure when your heart relaxes).

For healthy people, the target blood pressure for adults is below 120/80 mmHg.

What to Think about for Blood Pressure Monitors

Choosing the best blood pressure monitor for home use depends on factors including accuracy, ease of use, and additional features.

It is recommended to look for monitors that have been validated for accuracy and to consider features that are important to you, such as the ability to store multiple user profiles or the ease of reading the display.

The Omron brand (various models with different features) seems to be at the top in most reviews, but there are so many in the market that it is best to search online yourself. Verywell health and consumer reports both rate BP Monitors.

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