Tips on lowering blood pressure

[scared88]

Hi everyone. I'm 33 year old male and in a cardiac and AAA panic, can feel my pulse everywhere and last year I had a bit of an elevated BP. Had two readings a year ago 154/84 and 141/79. Any tips on how to lowering it? Without meds, doctors don't prescribe BP meds based on two readings on a nervous wreck.

[Catkins]

Were the readings taken by a health professional? I'm just thinking it might be a bit of white coat syndrome?

[Deepseathree]

Those two readings are kind of high, but they aren’t anything to stress over right away. Though you don’t want to ignore it either.

I’d first try and figure out if it’s white coat syndrome. You can get a blood pressure machine at home, but that could be a slippery slope if you’re going to constantly check it. I have high blood pressure and getting it check no matter where causes me worry as I stress about what the number is going to be.

Exercise and stress management would be first and foremost. There are supplements that help out also. Citrus bergamot, coq10, beetroot, l citrulline, etc. But I’m not going to tell you to take them as I’m not a doctor and don’t know your history either.

Weight loss will help if you’re carrying extra weight. Changing diet obviously going hand in hand with weight loss. But then it could also boil down to just a genetic predisposition and you’ll have to be on medicine. Which isn’t bad and is better than the alternative.

[scared88]

Yeah a nurse in a pharmacy took the readings. And once a doctor in an office but she didn't worry too much cause she figured it was the stress.

[scared88]

Those two readings are kind of high, but they aren’t anything to stress over right away. Though you don’t want to ignore it either.

I’d first try and figure out if it’s white coat syndrome. You can get a blood pressure machine at home, but that could be a slippery slope if you’re going to constantly check it. I have high blood pressure and getting it check no matter where causes me worry as I stress about what the number is going to be.

Exercise and stress management would be first and foremost. There are supplements that help out also. Citrus bergamot, coq10, beetroot, l citrulline, etc. But I’m not going to tell you to take them as I’m not a doctor and don’t know your history either.

Weight loss will help if you’re carrying extra weight. Changing diet obviously going hand in hand with weight loss. But then it could also boil down to just a genetic predisposition and you’ll have to be on medicine. Which isn’t bad and is better than the alternative.

I have white coat syndrome, I'm pretty sure of that. A doctor once taking my pressure said that she could just see my pulse getting higher and higher and I'm always stressed at the doctors. What were your numbers when you got diagnosed?

[Fishmanpa]

I agree with the previous replies as to this being 'white coat syndrome'. That said, diet and exercise play a big part in BP. Avoiding salt, fatty foods etc. and exercise are the best ways to control and avoid high BP. As one who has heart disease and takes meds to control it, I can say first hand that those methods work and resulted in a reduction of the prescription strength of the meds I take. I've literally cut my dosage in half over the last several years.

FMP

[Deepseathree]

I have white coat syndrome, I'm pretty sure of that. A doctor once taking my pressure said that she could just see my pulse getting higher and higher and I'm always stressed at the doctors. What were your numbers when you got diagnosed?

To preface. I’m a 33y/o male as well. I was diagnosed a few years ago. Earlier in that year my readings were perfect. At the end of the year my readings were 160ish/90-100 for three separate weeks. Nothing changed in my weight, diet, or anything. I workout routinely but do more weightlifting than cardio so I have some weight to lose, but I think my problem mainly comes from stress management. I don’t sleep well and I work a pretty stressful job and schedule.

[WorryRaptor]

First of all, you need to make sure you actually have high BP. Whitecoat syndrome has mine up to 150/98 and when I take it at home its a cool 110/70!

If you do in fact have high BP, you'll need to figure out what's causing it, as there can be many reasons. Once you know, it's a lot easier to address.

Much of the time, its diet, extra weight, or stress causing it. If it's diet related, well, cutting back on high fat, high salt, high sugar content foods will help a great deal. Try incorporating lots more green veggies into your diet if you need to.

Losing any extra weight will also help too.

Stress is probably the most difficult one to tackle! Because it can be triggered by so many things in our every day life, it might take a little while to pinpoint what causes you the most distress. In the meantime, making sure you can manage every day stress in general give you a good foundation while you find out what your triggers are. I find that if I have a strict sleep and hydration routine, my stress levels stay much lower, and in turn, my BP.

Like others have said, it might help to buy an at-home BP monitor to check your readings. That way you can build up some data to see if you genuinely have consistently high BP or its just fluctuations causes by stressors. If you find it's high all the time, you can take that to your GP to discuss an action plan.

[Fishmanpa]

Like others have said, it might help to buy an at-home BP monitor to check your readings.

I disagree with this 100%! It will just cause more OCD checking behavior and feed the dragon. The readings are not that far out of the norm and considering the effects of 'white coat syndrome', one has a cause and effect. Adding an additional unnecessary monitoring activity will be detrimental to the OP.

FMP

[WorryRaptor]

[QUOTE=WorryRaptor;2040275]Like others have said, it might help to buy an at-home BP monitor to check your readings./QUOTE]

I disagree with this 100%! It will just cause more OCD checking behavior and feed the dragon. The readings are not that far out of the norm and considering the effects of 'white coat syndrome', one has a cause and effect. Adding an additional unnecessary monitoring activity will be detrimental to the OP.

FMP

It might, I agree. Personally, it helped me to find out I didn't have high blood pressure after my GP prescribed me medication for high BP. When I voiced my concerns, another GP advised me to get a home reader, and that's how we discovered my BP was perfectly normal. I rarely use the machine now. Not every check on oneself will lead to OCD behaviour, but I agree that it's a risk, sure.

[scared88]

I'm currently working on getting my weight down a bit. I've been freaking out so much this weekend cause of my fear of abdominal aortic aneurysm. Can see my pulse in the stomach and belly moves quite a bit. I have noticed this in the past but not given it much thought. AAA is usually found in people 60+ but I fear my blood pressure might be causing it in me......

[WorryRaptor]

I'm currently working on getting my weight down a bit. I've been freaking out so much this weekend cause of my fear of abdominal aortic aneurysm. Can see my pulse in the stomach and belly moves quite a bit. I have noticed this in the past but not given it much thought. AAA is usually found in people 60+ but I fear my blood pressure might be causing it in me......

Your readings (which could definitely just be from whitecoat syndrome) aren't really all that high. Something like AAA would be from much higher BP over a long, long time. You're right that its mainly found in 60+ people. Those people likely had sky high BP for many many years before that too.

I can feel my pulse all over my body too, and I don't have high BP. It's pretty normal for the belly to move with your pulse, especially if you're paying attention to it.

Just keep working on reducing the weight :)

[scared88]

Your readings (which could definitely just be from whitecoat syndrome) aren't really all that high. Something like AAA would be from much higher BP over a long, long time. You're right that its mainly found in 60+ people. Those people likely had sky high BP for many many years before that too.

I can feel my pulse all over my body too, and I don't have high BP. It's pretty normal for the belly to move with your pulse, especially if you're paying attention to it.

Just keep working on reducing the weight :)

Thank you I'm trying. I feel like I can feel my HR everywhere and my stomach is very bouncy when I relax the muscles and let the fat just roll free lol. I can dig in and find the heartbeat from the aorta above my navel and it's strong, at least that must mean my heart isn't weak. I also don't feel any mass around where the beat is and I have never smoked in my life and with no family history of AAA or other general heart disease the only risk factors I have is diet and weight related.

[Fishmanpa]

Good to hear... Affirms the replies.

FMP

[Deepseathree]

I'm currently working on getting my weight down a bit. I've been freaking out so much this weekend cause of my fear of abdominal aortic aneurysm. Can see my pulse in the stomach and belly moves quite a bit. I have noticed this in the past but not given it much thought. AAA is usually found in people 60+ but I fear my blood pressure might be causing it in me......

I too used to have this worry. Unless you have Marfans syndrome/family history of it/ or you’re much older and unhealthier than you say you are than it should be on your radar. Even with the older/unhealthier comment I made, it’s still not too likely. You’re blood pressure albeit high, is not too bad. Blood pressure is more of a long term issue unless of course it’s super high.

As I said earlier, getting an at home monitor could be good or bad. If you already have the worry, then you could go down a hole of constantly checking it. So I’d think how you’re going to be before making any purchase. I could probably check mine weekly, but I sometimes check it daily on work mornings to see how my sleep the previous night affected it.

To digress though, your blood pressure isn’t going to be the cause of an AAA right now. You go looking and you’ll find outliers that might fit your age or so that have had them. An AAA is pretty rare, an AAA at your age with your health is super unlikely.

[glassgirlw]

Shoot, my blood pressure at the Er Thursday night was 150/80. Granted I was also in a fair amount of pain, but it’s pretty typical for mine to be elevated at the doctors office.

You DO NOT have an AAA. There would be so, so many other “red flags” than barely elevated blood pressure.

[scared88]

Shoot, my blood pressure at the Er Thursday night was 150/80. Granted I was also in a fair amount of pain, but it’s pretty typical for mine to be elevated at the doctors office.

You DO NOT have an AAA. There would be so, so many other “red flags” than barely elevated blood pressure.

Did the doctors make any comments about your BP?

[scared88]

I too used to have this worry. Unless you have Marfans syndrome/family history of it/ or you’re much older and unhealthier than you say you are than it should be on your radar. Even with the older/unhealthier comment I made, it’s still not too likely. You’re blood pressure albeit high, is not too bad. Blood pressure is more of a long term issue unless of course it’s super high.

As I said earlier, getting an at home monitor could be good or bad. If you already have the worry, then you could go down a hole of constantly checking it. So I’d think how you’re going to be before making any purchase. I could probably check mine weekly, but I sometimes check it daily on work mornings to see how my sleep the previous night affected it.

To digress though, your blood pressure isn’t going to be the cause of an AAA right now. You go looking and you’ll find outliers that might fit your age or so that have had them. An AAA is pretty rare, an AAA at your age with your health is super unlikely.

Thanks, makes me feel a bit better. It is scary though that I am having the only symptom that most people notice when they have AAA. I am still 33 year old male and as healthy I was when I wrote this post lol...I'm also 178cm and 85 kg so I have a few to lose.

[glassgirlw]

Did the doctors make any comments about your BP?

nope they didn’t mention a thing. I actually said, wow that’s high for me - she said not to worry about it, it was actually low for someone at the ER with gallbladder attack lol. So I guess I won’t worry!

[sheena1946]

Hi Scared,
my tip for lowering blood pressure is Aduna cacao.It works for me and says on the packet it is good for heart health,blood circulation and elasticity of arteries.
All scientifically proven,it takes some getting used to if taken as a hot drink like i do, because it does not taste like cocoa,it is as the cacao bean should be,before it has been messed about with,lots of added sugar etc.
Read about the Kuna Indians of the San Blas Islands they drink loads of cacao and apparently do not suffer from high blood pressure.
I drink 2 cups in the morning and 2 in the evening,i do not add sugar or milk and have gotten used to the taste.
It says that cacao has many health benefits besides the heart,so take your time and read up on it.I buy it online because i could not find anywhere to buy it.

[scared88]

I can also see my heartbeat in my chest very clearly which is also worrying me. I've been like this for years but I can't help but think if it's heart failure

[scared88]

I will look into that