"The White Coat Effect"

If your home blood-pressure measurements are consistently lower than blood-pressure measured at your doctor's office, you might suffer from a common condition called the "white coat" effect. (I have experienced this personally, as my blood pressure usually spikes in the office, but is in the normal range when checked elsewhere.)

Does this mean you have high blood pressure and should go on medication? Possibly, but follow your doctor's instructions. Physiologically, the "white coat" effect means that your body is probably more reactive to stressful events. This means that you probably have elevated blood-pressure many times during the day that you may not be aware of and a doctor's visit falls under that category.

Your doctor may suggest daily blood pressure monitoring. (Mine did.) Daily home blood-pressure monitoring has been shown to somewhat reduce the "white coat" effect, although is not clear if it reduces the long term risk of high reactivity to stress. Possibly the repeated measurement helps to ease the stress of the doctor's visit.