High Blood Pressure

[Kasper]

Got some tips from here but want something more personalised. The last few times I've had blood pressure tests they've been high. I had another one today and it was higher than it's been before, it wasn't taken by a doctor but the person who took it was concerned. Recently I've been unable to exercise (getting back to that tomorrow hopefully) and have been stressed.

I want to know the best ways of controlling it (don't tell me to stop being stressed though, I already know that one) and what I should be concerned about as I really know nothing about blood pressure issues, I've read wiki and crap like that but that's as far as my knowledge goes.

 

[Synapse]

Mines like 140/84 and that is borderline they say, seems to get to 125-132/80 when I'm not stressed and when I'm stressed goes higher.
I gather it has much to do with good fitness and diet and lack of stressful places. Ha but me stressed so I'm hardly one to offer good info.

 

[mmhmm]

i'm sure you're aware of foods that help lower blood pressure
and foods you should avoid, based on the resources you've
listed.

but if you can't give up salt,
just try to avoid iodized/table salt and opt for sea salt.
celtic sea salt is best.

 

[Kasper]

Mines like 140/84 and that is borderline they say, seems to get to 125-132/80 when I'm not stressed and when I'm stressed goes higher.
I gather it has much to do with good fitness and diet and lack of stressful places. Ha but me stressed so I'm hardly one to offer good info.

Mine wasn't borderline, it was high, he took it twice, it did go down but the second time it was still high at 151/100. Very high.

Last time a doc took it (couple of months ago) I don't remember exactly what it was but I think the first time he took it the diastolic score was 90 something. Also high. He wasn't too concerned as it came down to the 80s the second time he took it, he suggested it's because I hadn't met him before so may have been anxious. His reasoning doesn't sound right for me but I accepted it as I knew no better. Now that it's even higher it's concerning.

i'm sure you're aware of foods that help lower blood pressure
and foods you should avoid, based on the resources you've
listed.

but if you can't give up salt,
just try to avoid iodized/table salt and opt for sea salt.
celtic sea salt is best.

Not really, I know salt is bad but the stuff I read talked more about what is normal and the medical issues it can cause.

I'm fine with avoiding anything, if it'll have an impact.

 

[Synapse]

Mine wasn't borderline, it was high, he took it twice, it did go down but the second time it was still high at 151/100. Very high.

Last time a doc took it (couple of months ago) I don't remember exactly what it was but I think the first time he took it the diastolic score was 90 something. Also high. He wasn't too concerned as it came down to the 80s the second time he took it, he suggested it's because I hadn't met him before so may have been anxious. His reasoning doesn't sound right for me but I accepted it as I knew no better. Now that it's even higher it's concerning.

Yeah fair enough, unsure how to help. its like my brother only started to give momentary concern about my health when my initial reading went to 145/86 once. Then I went back to reasonable and he lost interest.

I would suggest less stress more something. Whats stressful in your life?

Remove sugar out of your diet, start eating natural sugars. Avoid alcohol, cordial, soft drinks and the like. Sugar is in everything in high proportions unnecessarily so in my opinion. Any wonder peoples metabolism does strange things to them. More complex carbohydrates like wholemeal and brown rice less carbohydrates like white bread and white rice.

 

[Kasper]

I would suggest less stress more something. Whats stressful in your life?

Too many things to get into, I'm not passive about my stress though, I'm working to reduce it and ideally that's the long term solution but it's not gonna happen tomorrow.

Remove sugar out of your diet, start eating natural sugars. Avoid alcohol, cordial, soft drinks and the like. Sugar is in everything in high proportions unnecessarily so in my opinion. Any wonder peoples metabolism does strange things to them. More complex carbohydrates like wholemeal and brown rice less carbohydrates like white bread and white rice.

No sugar drinks or sweets, increase fruit, wholemeal not white. Check.

 

[swordpath]

Mine usually hovers in the 140's/80's, which is borderline. I've had readings in the 150's/90's before though... I've had borderline readings since I was about 15 years old and all throughout the military when I've been in my best shape. I think for me, stress is the biggest factor that affects my numbers.

My dad had polycystic kidney disease until he received a transplant about 3 years ago. It's possible that I have the disease as well and that that's the reason for my elevated blood pressure. I haven't done any tests yet to determine if that's so.

Definitely don't just decide to try to fix this on your own. There may be a reason your blood pressure is elevated, which would be something a professional doc would need to diagnose and treat. Better safe than sorry. Definitely go see a doc. Also the obvious, watch your diet and try to exercise for at least 30 mins a day.

 

[PeaceBaby]

I would buy yourself a blood pressure machine Trinity, they aren't expensive anymore and take your own reading three times a day for a month to track a true baseline blood pressure.

Mine is always higher in the Dr's office or when someone else takes it. When I do it myself at home, it's good.

 

[Seymour]

I would buy yourself a blood pressure machine Trinity, they aren't expensive anymore and take your own reading three times a day for a month to track a true baseline blood pressure.

Mine is always higher in the Dr's office or when someone else takes it. When I do it myself at home, it's good.

I did the same thing for my partner (bought him an at home blood pressure machine). He hates the doctor and turned out his blood pressure would spike while he was there.

Of course, turned out even at home it was high enough to require medication, but at least we were working from good data at that point.

 

[swordpath]

PeaceBaby raises a good point with mentioning the White Coat Syndrome, where your readings are higher and sometimes significantly higher in a medical facility setting, or just somewhere that isn't relaxed and free of distractions.

Two consecutive readings that appear high aren't enough to put a stamp of a high blood pressure diagnosis on your record. You'd need to monitor your BP (preferably from home, and obviously with a machine that you know is calibrated/working properly) 3 times a day (once in the morning, afternoon and then evening). Also, be in a seated/restful position for about 10 minutes prior to hitting the "Go" button on the machine.

Report back with your readings!

 

[eagleseven]

You've likely heard it before, but substituting my bicycle for my automobile did wonders for my cardiovascular health.

I went from high borderline to low borderline with two years of bicycle commuting (30-45 minutes a day).

---

Also, recent studies have demonstrated that a daily glass of red wine or beer can keep stress and blood pressure low.

 

[King sns]

Well, the only thing you really can do is eliminate all of your modifiable risk factors. Birth control, being overwight, smoking, high sodium and fat intake, and inactivity to name a few. We don't have to tell you to reduce stress. But...it will still raise your blood pressure, so if that is your only risk factor, then you must find a way to reduce the stress. There's no tips or tricks around this fact. If all of these don't help, you may have to go on blood pressure meds. I'm not sure of your exact scenario, but treatment is about as straight forward as it looks.

My favorite antidote for any health problem is exercise (cardio). It will help you to reduce stress, directly improve your cardiovascular health, and also has the added benefit of lowering bad cholesterol, while raising good cholesterol, which will also help you to lower your BP.

 

[Thalassa]

Exercise is the best thing for your blood pressure, seriously. Find a way to exercise. The last time I had my blood pressure checked it was "even better than it's supposed to be."

I put olive oil on everything (supposed to counteract bad cholesterol), eat lots of fruits and vegetables, try to get beaucoup fiber...um, take deep breaths and try getting outside or doing something to clear your mind as well even if you can't cut stress out of your life.

Oh yeah, I also drink wine regularly. Red wine is the best.

 

[King sns]

Mine wasn't borderline, it was high, he took it twice, it did go down but the second time it was still high at 151/100. Very high.

Last time a doc took it (couple of months ago) I don't remember exactly what it was but I think the first time he took it the diastolic score was 90 something. Also high. He wasn't too concerned as it came down to the 80s the second time he took it, he suggested it's because I hadn't met him before so may have been anxious. His reasoning doesn't sound right for me but I accepted it as I knew no better. Now that it's even higher it's concerning.




Not really, I know salt is bad but the stuff I read talked more about what is normal and the medical issues it can cause.

I'm fine with avoiding anything, if it'll have an impact.

Oh, I just read this. His reasoning is actually very sound. Blood pressure can be affected by so many things. If your diastolic came down the next time he took it, than likely you were just anxious. This happens all the time. You need a few readings on different occasions to be classified as high blood pressure. However, being interested in your blood pressure and methods of maintaining your cardiovascular health will be very beneficial to you in the long run.

 

[Tiltyred]

My blood pressure spikes like crazy when I don't like the doctor who takes it, or when I'm in a situation I don't like, for example, the hospital. They're always very concerned, and then I tell them to shut the lights off and go away for 10 minutes, and when they come back in, be quiet and just go about their business, and it's 125/85, which for me is more than fine.

I used to go to an allergist that I couldn't stand, and she took my blood pressure at every visit and was convinced I had high blood pressure, bugged me to the point I handed her the phone to call my doctor. He assured her my blood pressure is fine in his office.

It really can be very situational.

 

[wolfy]

Exercise to improve blood flow and body composition. And changes in your diet. Here is a booklet outlining ways of working diet changes into your lifestyle nblhi dash diet. Fish oil has been proven to slightly lower blood pressure as it improves blood flow. Exercise and diet modification mainly, as far as stress goes it is probably easier to think of ways of dealing with the stress in your life than reducing it. Recovery from the stress, giving yourself time to recover, that is more doable.

 

[Ivy]

I take medication for high BP. IMO, high blood pressure is such a strain on the heart over time (and mine is a bit iffy to begin with) that the medication is a no-brainer for me. If your BP stays high you might choose to medicate, too. Do you find your ankles swelling at the end of the day? A medication with HCTZ (hydrochlorothyazide) is probably what you would be prescribed. Otherwise you may be prescribed an ACE inhibitor, which (among other things) causes more salt to be excreted in urine. I take a combo medication called Prinzide which has both HCTZ and an ACE inhibitor in it.

Besides that, lifestyle is of course a big part of controlling BP. Cutting back on salt, increasing your intake of fibrous fresh fruits/vegetables, exercise, weight loss if you're carrying any extra, etc. When my blood pressure first started spiking, I was pregnant so my midwife didn't want to start me on medication then. She "prescribed" a watermelon a day. Watermelon is an amazing diuretic and that helps control the BP. Oddly enough, so are whole eggs (not just egg whites). So she also "prescribed" 6 eggs a day, short term, to keep my BP down so I would not develop preeclampsia (a complicated form of high BP that only happens during pregnancy). After the baby was born she said that I should continue to eat eggs a few times a week because the specific combination of proteins in eggs can reduce blood pressure by as much as 20%. My cholesterol is awesome so that was not part of the equation for me; if your cholesterol is high then you might want to limit eggs too.

 

[Ivy]

Just went poking around to back up my assertions about eggs, and found some good news.

Fried eggs could help keep blood-pressure down - Telegraph

Fried eggs work best! God I love fried eggs. And the type of cholesterol in eggs has little or no ill effect on the heart! So, in summary, try this strategy:

• More eggs
• Bigger eggs
• Eat eggs every day

 

[Kasper]

Better safe than sorry. Definitely go see a doc. Also the obvious, watch your diet and try to exercise for at least 30 mins a day.

Def will do, just want to educate myself about before I do that, I'm yet to find a doc that I can call my own and build a medical history with so I feel like their main aim much of the time is to be a drug dispensing machine so they get kick-backs. I don't trust them to give me the best solution all of the time. Diet and exercise are easy things to change in the meantime. Thanks.

I would buy yourself a blood pressure machine Trinity, they aren't expensive anymore and take your own reading three times a day for a month to track a true baseline blood pressure.

Had a quick look and can pick them up for $50 or so, never would have thought of that, cool.

PeaceBaby raises a good point with mentioning the White Coat Syndrome, where your readings are higher and sometimes significantly higher in a medical facility setting, or just somewhere that isn't relaxed and free of distractions.

Well I feel like I'm relaxed, yesterday it was with a gym instructor doing a health check so I have no idea why I'd be anxious.

Report back with your readings!

Will do!

Also, recent studies have demonstrated that a daily glass of red wine or beer can keep stress and blood pressure low.

AWESOME! That's actually one thing that I have changed, I did use to drink a glass most nights but I haven't for quite some time, and I figured not drinking alcohol was a good thing so let it go, my wine collection has been growing too much and I recon it's time I cleared out some space in my wine cabinet!

Gym membership is another area that has changed, I stopped doing what I was doing (3-4 times a week) in April as I was no longer enjoying it and not getting the results that I wanted, within myself I feel as though it's had a massive impact, I'm not at all comfortable with not exercising and have but on some weight. I've been checking out new gyms and have a trial for a new one tonight, hopefully it's a go-er, if so exercising every day won't be an issue.

Well, the only thing you really can do is eliminate all of your modifiable risk factors. Birth control, being overwight, smoking, high sodium and fat intake, and inactivity to name a few. We don't have to tell you to reduce stress. But...it will still raise your blood pressure, so if that is your only risk factor, then you must find a way to reduce the stress.

Don't smoke, dunno what sodium is in, don't have a high fat intake but have been inactive lately which has impacted my weight as stated above. I have also started taking birth control, which I guess may be having an impact =/ I do think stress is a major factor but other things are clearly having an impact.

My favorite antidote for any health problem is exercise (cardio). It will help you to reduce stress, directly improve your cardiovascular health, and also has the added benefit of lowering bad cholesterol, while raising good cholesterol, which will also help you to lower your BP.

Agree completely, I miss not exercising.

I put olive oil on everything (supposed to counteract bad cholesterol), eat lots of fruits and vegetables, try to get beaucoup fiber...um, take deep breaths and try getting outside or doing something to clear your mind as well even if you can't cut stress out of your life.

Oh yeah, I also drink wine regularly. Red wine is the best.

Olive oil, fruit, fibre, relax, wine... check.

Here is a booklet outlining ways of working diet changes into your lifestyle nblhi dash diet. Fish oil has been proven to slightly lower blood pressure as it improves blood flow. Exercise and diet modification mainly, as far as stress goes it is probably easier to think of ways of dealing with the stress in your life than reducing it. Recovery from the stress, giving yourself time to recover, that is more doable.

Wicked, thanks! I won't do fish oil, cause of the vegetarian thang but the DASH eating plan looks good. Exercise helps me with stress so getting back into that will have an impact in that respect.

Do you find your ankles swelling at the end of the day?

Nope.

I take medication for high BP. IMO, high blood pressure is such a strain on the heart over time (and mine is a bit iffy to begin with) that the medication is a no-brainer for me. If your BP stays high you might choose to medicate, too.

I'd always prefer to avoid medication, but sometimes it is the best answer.

• More eggs
• Bigger eggs
• Eat eggs every day

Awesome, I can do that in my sleep!! Poached eggs on a muffin for breakfast, lunch and tea is teh best!

• Will get my own monitor.
• Join a gym *fingers crossed it's the one I go to tonight*
• Eat more fresh fruit (watermelon when possible)
• Go over the DASH eating plan so it can be included in my diet
• Hug my kittens more often to reduce stress
• Drink a glass of wine approximately each night
• Eat more eggs
• Learn what sodium is
• Increase olive oil in diet
• Follow up with a doc if it doesn't come down and then consider medication

THANKS guys!

 

[King sns]

Def will do, just want to educate myself about before I do that, I'm yet to find a doc that I can call my own and build a medical history with so I feel like their main aim much of the time is to be a drug dispensing machine so they get kick-backs. I don't trust them to give me the best solution all of the time. Diet and exercise are easy things to change in the meantime. Thanks.



Had a quick look and can pick them up for $50 or so, never would have thought of that, cool.



Well I feel like I'm relaxed, yesterday it was with a gym instructor doing a health check so I have no idea why I'd be anxious.



Will do!



AWESOME! That's actually one thing that I have changed, I did use to drink a glass most nights but I haven't for quite some time, and I figured not drinking alcohol was a good thing so let it go, my wine collection has been growing too much and I recon it's time I cleared out some space in my wine cabinet!

Gym membership is another area that has changed, I stopped doing what I was doing (3-4 times a week) in April as I was no longer enjoying it and not getting the results that I wanted, within myself I feel as though it's had a massive impact, I'm not at all comfortable with not exercising and have but on some weight. I've been checking out new gyms and have a trial for a new one tonight, hopefully it's a go-er, if so exercising every day won't be an issue.



Don't smoke, dunno what sodium is in, don't have a high fat intake but have been inactive lately which has impacted my weight as stated above. I have also started taking birth control, which I guess may be having an impact =/ I do think stress is a major factor but other things are clearly having an impact.



Agree completely, I miss not exercising.



Olive oil, fruit, fibre, relax, wine... check.



Wicked, thanks! I won't do fish oil, cause of the vegetarian thang but the DASH eating plan looks good. Exercise helps me with stress so getting back into that will have an impact in that respect.



Nope.



I'd always prefer to avoid medication, but sometimes it is the best answer.




Awesome, I can do that in my sleep!! Poached eggs on a muffin for breakfast, lunch and tea is teh best!

• Will get my own monitor.
• Join a gym *fingers crossed it's the one I go to tonight*
• Eat more fresh fruit (watermelon when possible)
• Go over the DASH eating plan so it can be included in my diet
• Hug my kittens more often to reduce stress
• Drink a glass of wine approximately each night
• Eat more eggs
• Learn what sodium is
• Increase olive oil in diet
• Follow up with a doc if it doesn't come down and then consider medication

THANKS guys!

Sodium is just salt- normal intake is about 2400 mg daily, just make sure you check labels before you buy things. Canned stuff is the biggest culprit, don't add table salt to your normal food, etc. Most people are wayyy over in their salt intake, (including myself) as things are really saturated with it nowadays. I love your plan!

The only reason you should need to go on meds is if you have some kind of a genetic problem of high cholesterol or anything that causes high blood pressure. Otherwise, simply changing some little things should help.