Headache due to high blood pressure: what to know

Pain, anxiety, caffeine, exercise and an incorrectly fitted cuff can temporarily affect a reading. Headache can also come from migraine, infection, dehydration, poor sleep or neck tension while blood pressure is unrelated. A single reading is a snapshot; repeated readings taken while rested give a clearer picture.

Sit quietly before checking, keep your back supported and arm at heart level, and avoid talking during the measurement. Record the time, reading, symptoms and medicines. Do not stop prescribed blood-pressure treatment because a headache has improved.

If you have access to a validated home monitor, follow its instructions and repeat an unexpected reading after resting. Share the log with a clinician or pharmacist. Take prescribed medicine as directed, limit stimulants that trigger symptoms, drink normally and rest. Do not take someone else's blood-pressure tablets or extra doses unless a clinician tells you to.

Call emergency services for a sudden severe headache with weakness, numbness, confusion, trouble speaking, vision loss, chest pain, severe breathlessness, fainting or seizure. Seek urgent medical advice for a severe headache during pregnancy or after childbirth, or a headache that is new, worsening, recurrent or accompanied by vomiting or fever. A clinician can interpret the actual reading alongside your symptoms.

Ask how often to monitor, whether your cuff is appropriate, what reading or symptom should prompt urgent contact, and whether any medicine or supplement affects your pressure.