Blood pressure for DOT physical

I'm not a physician but I don't think drinking water causes the blood pressure to rise. I think the blood pressure rise is caused by excess fluid in areas it should not be. High sodium levels causes water to be retained this way this is why diuretics are so good to reduce blood pressure. My last 2 years I was taking a Lisinopril and hydrochlorothiazide combination that did a great job of reducing my blood sodium levels as well as my BP. Don't be scared of the diuretic as a truck driver. Once your body gets used to this you will settle into a predictable urinating pattern. You just have to watch your fluid intake.

 

If you have a water retention issue then drinking too much before the BP check wil

Doesn't sound right to me at all. Doctors have been known to make up their own rules where the DOT guidelines are concerned, even more so when they stand to gain financially.

Check the FMCSA website.

 

Just checked the medical section on the FMCSA website.
Didn't see anything about it. Might have missed it though.

 

Also insist, if necessary, that you have 5 minutes of uninterrupted relaxation before they take your BP. 5 minutes of no-talking and resting is the medical protocol for an accurate BP measurement.
There are tricks you can do such as moderate gripping exercises that will temporarily lower your BP in your arm just before measurement. Fast and be WELL HYDRATED before the test. A little aspirin also might help. Meditation, just close your eyes breathe deeply and imagine looking at a sunset for 10 minutes can't hurt.

Also, if you are using a wrist-mounted BP device at home, it is absolutely vital you get that thing at exactly the level of your heart for it to be accurate. Think of a tube full of water and sealed on both ends. If the tube is tilted closer toward vertical the pressure measured near the bottom of the tube will be higher than if the tube were perfectly level or slightly elevated on the end you measure.

Arm cuff BP measurement is more accurate simply because its easier to attach at the level of your heart. This is just my wannabe-engineer assessment of the issue.

 

The last time I went in my BP was a bit high, so a second reading was taken. It was high.
The nurse had me sit down for a good 10 minutes, then came back and did it with a manual cuff instead of the mechanical one. At that point I was good.

And aspirin can help lower it, but make sure it is pure aspirin. Don't take something like Excedrin that also has caffeine in it.

 

I read on another forum a guy was worried about his blood pressure. He said by doing a pretty good workout the day before the blood pressure gets checked will lower it.

 

Just to update, my test was a few weeks ago and I did fine, my BP was good. Just don't worry about it. Lay off the salty and surgery foods, drink water and eat nuts, fruits and vegetables.