By Dr. Susan Biegel, M.D.

Having hypertension is not a death sentence to continuing to fly, but there are some tips to make your airman medical exam go much more smoothly and increase your likelihood of passing the first time.

Get a good night’s sleep the night before the exam. Many times, my patients’ blood pressure will be significantly higher if they had a poor night’s sleep the night before.

Don’t exercise right before your exam. Exercising naturally will raise the pulse and the blood pressure. This is normal! But please allow two to three hours for the blood pressure to come down before your exam. Last week I saw a patient who did his 30 mile bike ride the night before his physical. His blood pressure did not come down after 45 minutes and he doesn’t even have hypertension! Please don’t come bounding up the stairs as this can raise the blood pressure. Instead, take the elevator to the doctor’s office.