White Coat Syndrome and Blood Pressure/Stroke Fears

Just reading the words “white coat syndrome” may make you uncomfortably aware of your body and any sensations that could point towards high blood pressure. 

With health anxiety we tend to fixate on every single bodily sensation, so unnaturally hyper-aware of our bodies that we almost always do experience strange sensations. 

Not because something bad is happening, but simply from the intense attention and focus we put on ourselves. 

Energy flows where attention goes, in this case, quite literally. 

When I’ve done body scan meditations, focusing on relaxing one body part at a time, starting at my feet and working my way up, I’ve often felt a faint tingling/buzzing of energy in the part focused on. 

This is completely normal. 

We are energetic beings and we have blood constantly flowing around our body (I know, we don’t really want to even think about that when health anxiety makes us feel so uncomfortable all the time). 

Interoception is a term to remember. It’s the awareness of internal bodily sensations and signals. 

Anxiety can cause us to become too aware of our heartbeat or tummy sensations, for example, causing a strange discomfort that may be hard to put into words. You may constantly be aware of your internal body and you may feel internal tremors or a strange buzzing type feeling all the time as you are so hyper focused on your inner state. 

Okay, so I’m veering a little off track, as I’m here today to have a chat with you about white coat syndrome and stroke fears that are so common with health anxiety yet so incredibly unsettling. 

I went through a period where I obsessed over my blood pressure and obsessed is actually putting it lightly. 

The fear of dangerously high blood pressure that could potentially result in a stroke or aneurysm completely consumed me.

Head pressure was one of my worst GAD symptoms.

While there were multiple symptoms that made me fear my blood pressure and a stroke, my extreme head pressure was one that never left me. 

I went to bed with my head feeling like it was going to explode and woke up with no relief. 

I’d try to go about my day, but this symptom was so uncomfortable and intense that it was impossible to not be aware of it. 

I won’t ramble on about that here, as I do have an in-depth blog post on this scary symptom along with all the tools that can help. 

I talk about it in this podcast episode too. 

The point is, my health anxiety told me that this couldn’t be normal and perhaps my severe anxiety and lack of sleep had pushed my blood pressure to dangerous levels. 

It didn’t help knowing that high blood pressure ran in my family or the day I stumbled upon an article of a girl in her twenties who had had a stroke. You can just imagine the health anxiety spiral after reading that

When it comes to genetics I do want to say something here. Your family history and genetics do not mean you are doomed to the same experience. I believe that we can certainly have the genetic component, but our lifestyle determines whether or not those genes are activated. 

I recommend my first book, “Help! Why Am I So Anxious?!” where I share all the nutrition and holistic remedies that were a major part of my recovery. 

Moving on… 

Okay, so my extreme head pressure certainly meant I had a constant feeling of fear in my gut and niggling concerns on my mind, but I had some other symptoms too that Google told me was a stroke, because yes, this was a time in my life when I went to Google for everything and remained stuck in a constant state of fear as a result. 

My “stroke” symptoms of anxiety 

• Facial tingling/numbness on one side. I’d run to the mirror to check for signs of drooping. 
• Crawling/tingling over my scalp.
• Slurring/stumbling over my words even though I was sober.
• Feeling of weakness/scary stiffness in my hands/arms followed by an intense wave of dread. I’d be eating or writing and feel like I could no longer use my hands. A panic attack often followed.
• Intense twitching in my muscles that would go on for ages without stopping.
• Blurry vision and spots in my vision. Would linger all day sometimes.
• Constant dizzy episodes and lack of coordination. During my worst days I was always off balance. 
• These symptoms also made me fear a degenerative muscle disease and ALS fears were one of my most significant and terrifying health anxiety periods. 

White coat syndrome

White coat syndrome is a drastic spike in blood pressure when taken in a medical setting. 

My dad is a good example here, as one of the calmest people I have ever known, only to have always had intensely high blood pressure at the doctor and completely normal blood pressure when taken at home. 

And then there’s me

Unlike my dad, I am not as calm, and so it’s probably no surprise that my blood pressure has always shot up at the doctor. 

The anticipation is the thing that gets us. We feel our dread and fear climbing long before the appointment. By the time we’re in the chair with the cuff around our arm (just typing that feels scary) and that intense squeezing… well, I honestly think people who stay calm are a different species and I’d like to be them

Tips for white coat syndrome 

While I certainly don’t have all the answers, as this is something that did not disappear for me, I will say that telling your doctor beforehand that you struggle with anxiety or even that you’re just feeling anxious in that moment is so important. 

I’d keep quiet and see concern on their face, which would cause me to start internally panicking and this would shoot it even higher. 

One time I was told “okay, just relax, I’ll take it again in a few minutes” and there I was left, alone with my panic in the starched white room that did nothing to help lower it. 

It ended up being higher each time, after which I blurted “I’m feeling quite anxious!” followed by nervous lighter, and then was told anxiety can definitely spike it. 

White coat syndrome is real. 

Just understanding that can provide some comfort when you leave the doctors office on the precipice of a major impending health anxiety spiral. 

Some doctors make us feel more at ease, while others have us immediately wanting a prescription for beta-blockers. 

Ask if you can take it yourself at home where you’ll be more relaxed. To be honest, this is still triggering for me, but at home you can do it at your own pace and when you truly feel calmer without the pressure and time constraint at the doctor.

Nostril breathing or straw breathing 

Deep breathing can instantly help to lower cortisol levels and, as a result, your blood pressure and heart rate too. 

When we panic we tend to hyperventilate, taking in loads of shallow air that spikes adrenaline and leaves us feeling panicky, breathless and with this weird pressure in our chest. 

I know deep breathing can feel challenging, it took me a while to get the hang of it after years of shallow breathing, but there are certain techniques that make it feel a lot easier. 

Breathing in and out through your nose only can help with hyperventilation. 

I also love a technique called straw breathing. You take a slow, long inhale in through your nose and then breathe out slowly through pursed lips to extend your exhale and provide  instant soothing relief for your nervous system. 

I love this tool to help me with my breathing and it’s been around my neck more often than not lately. 

Magnesium 

My saviour supplement for many reasons, but magnesium can truly help to reduce inflammation, in turn lowering cortisol levels in the long-term. 

Even if you do have actual high blood pressure I’d recommend it, as daily magnesium can help to keep your blood pressure levels healthy. 

Learn everything you need to know here. 

Avoid caffeine or too much sugar 

I used to drink cups of caffeine to get me through my work day, not realizing just how much it was impacting my anxiety. 

I’m not telling you to ditch the caffeine completely, as we are all different and some of us handle it far better than others. 

Simply pay attention to any symptoms you may experience after drinking it, I know heart palpitations are a big one for many people. I even get heart palps from green tea!

Also, maybe avoid it right before your doctor’s appointment, especially if you have white coat syndrome! 

Too much sugar can also leave you jittery and panicky. 

If you’d like to delve deep into all the nutrition advice and natural (but powerful!) remedies I wish I had known during my worst days then my books are for you. 

You can find links and learn all about each one here. 

This blog post was more a validation post should you relate to any, perhaps all, of the above. 

As I always tell you, logic leaves when fear takes over, which is why it’s so important to arm ourselves with all the knowledge we can on our anxiety journey. 

Always here with you along the way 🙂