Blood Pressure
Discussion
Went to the docs and he asked me to do home readings for two weeks as it was a bit high, didn't see the numbers properly but it was like 175/90, but I do get wound up at the doctors and had cycled there, he took it again and it came down he said.
Taking it at home, when working at my desk, am ranging between 135 - 145 on the top number and 68-81 on the bottom, averaging like 140/74, reading about it, the bottom one looks normal but the top one is a bit high. Didnt they used to say 100 plus your age but now they say 120/70, preferably even lower ?
Am 43, overweight by say two stone, but cycle a few days a week, dont smoke but like a beer (but not all the time)
Resting Pulse is between 65 and 75 when sat at my desk, drops into the 50s when lying down.
Do you think he will want to put me on pills or just say lose some weight tubbs ?
Taking it at home, when working at my desk, am ranging between 135 - 145 on the top number and 68-81 on the bottom, averaging like 140/74, reading about it, the bottom one looks normal but the top one is a bit high. Didnt they used to say 100 plus your age but now they say 120/70, preferably even lower ?
Am 43, overweight by say two stone, but cycle a few days a week, dont smoke but like a beer (but not all the time)
Resting Pulse is between 65 and 75 when sat at my desk, drops into the 50s when lying down.
Do you think he will want to put me on pills or just say lose some weight tubbs ?
TwigtheWonderkid said:
Lose the 2 stone and look at the amount of salt in the stuff you eat. Cut salt intake right down.
Yeah, I sort of gravitate to this weight, lost a stone and a half a couple of years back and then put it back on, I did notice when I lost the weight that, when I stood up in the morning I went a bit light headed which I suspect was my BP coming down but my cardiovascular system was still used to a bit more pressure.I don't add salt to anything but I realise a lot of stuff is hammered with it.
J4CKO said:
TwigtheWonderkid said:
Lose the 2 stone and look at the amount of salt in the stuff you eat. Cut salt intake right down.
Yeah, I sort of gravitate to this weight, lost a stone and a half a couple of years back and then put it back on, I did notice when I lost the weight that, when I stood up in the morning I went a bit light headed which I suspect was my BP coming down but my cardiovascular system was still used to a bit more pressure.I don't add salt to anything but I realise a lot of stuff is hammered with it.
I cycled 100 miles on Sunday so needed lots of calories, I had a Goodfellas pizza and a Big Mac meal and it was the highest salt day I've had in months if not ever. Sugar and salt hide in all sorts of places you don't expect...
J4CKO said:
Went to the docs and he asked me to do home readings for two weeks as it was a bit high, didn't see the numbers properly but it was like 175/90, but I do get wound up at the doctors and had cycled there, he took it again and it came down he said.
Taking it at home, when working at my desk, am ranging between 135 - 145 on the top number and 68-81 on the bottom, averaging like 140/74, reading about it, the bottom one looks normal but the top one is a bit high. Didnt they used to say 100 plus your age but now they say 120/70, preferably even lower ?
Am 43, overweight by say two stone, but cycle a few days a week, dont smoke but like a beer (but not all the time)
Resting Pulse is between 65 and 75 when sat at my desk, drops into the 50s when lying down.
Do you think he will want to put me on pills or just say lose some weight tubbs ?
The top number is your systolic and the bottom number is your diastolic.Taking it at home, when working at my desk, am ranging between 135 - 145 on the top number and 68-81 on the bottom, averaging like 140/74, reading about it, the bottom one looks normal but the top one is a bit high. Didnt they used to say 100 plus your age but now they say 120/70, preferably even lower ?
Am 43, overweight by say two stone, but cycle a few days a week, dont smoke but like a beer (but not all the time)
Resting Pulse is between 65 and 75 when sat at my desk, drops into the 50s when lying down.
Do you think he will want to put me on pills or just say lose some weight tubbs ?
Look at it this way:
You connect a foot pump to a tyre. It gives you a reading of the pressure in the tyre: this is your diastolic. When you push the pump down, the reading goes up as you force pressure in: this is your systolic.
Run up a hill, get a fright, have sex
have a buttock clenching moment in your car: these will all lead to a higher systolic. This pressure goes up easily but also comes down quickly. Don't get too worried about this number, unless it is always high (particularly after being at rest for a while).The diastolic is the important one: this is the pressure your pipes are under all the time. If this is high, then you need to do something about it.
140/74 to me is absolutely fine, but I only know what you have said here, so follow your doctor's advice. The important bit is your family history: if your father, and his before him died at 44 following an MI (heart attack) then you should be worried
Otherwise, look at losing those two stone over the next year or two and don't worry about it.That isn't so high. Probably check it again to be sure and stop worrying.
I'm not very convinced by the endless "less salt" advice - salt levels must be pretty tightly regulated (via peeing) or you die, and you aren't dead. I favour the alcohol, sugar, and flour leading to fat bugger syndrome, diabetes, and heart disease hypothesis.
Lose the weight. Limit the beer. Don't take up smoking.
I'm not very convinced by the endless "less salt" advice - salt levels must be pretty tightly regulated (via peeing) or you die, and you aren't dead. I favour the alcohol, sugar, and flour leading to fat bugger syndrome, diabetes, and heart disease hypothesis.
Lose the weight. Limit the beer. Don't take up smoking.
As per the other poster. nothing alarming there based on the limited info you have given.
Doc will tell you to make lifestyle changes which means weight loss, diet and exercise. Have a look at www.bloodpressureuk.org for some good quality information.
pp
Doc will tell you to make lifestyle changes which means weight loss, diet and exercise. Have a look at www.bloodpressureuk.org for some good quality information.
pp
JumboBeef said:
The diastolic is the important one: this is the pressure your pipes are under all the time. If this is high, then you need to do something about it.
A lot of what you've written is good. That bit, however, is not. A high systolic pressure is every bit as dangerous. His pressure isn't much to worry about, as others have said. It's high but. Not alarmingly so.
I think getting too complacent if either number if high is a bad thing, basically, as I see it, blood vessels are mechanical and the pressure is the strain they are under, my diastolic, when I take it is never really over 80 so fits in to the ok range, but when my heart beats there is a percentage of extra strain on the blood vessels and whatever they are connected to.
I want to get so I can get it down as far as possible without pills as they can cause all sorts of problems but I also dont want to go its broadly ok and weight another few years until its a problem, a older chap at work went and his diastolic was consistently way over 100, but he was a smoker (now stopped) and not given to exercise, on and liked a pint.
My boss is a smoker (not massively though) and drinks vast amounts, most days, eats crap and is a bit red faced, expanding beer belly, but his BP is apparently fine, he told the doctor how much he drinks and the doctor always says that for most people they double it to get a realistic idea but he didn't think that was possible in his case and checked if the figure was a typo !
I want to get so I can get it down as far as possible without pills as they can cause all sorts of problems but I also dont want to go its broadly ok and weight another few years until its a problem, a older chap at work went and his diastolic was consistently way over 100, but he was a smoker (now stopped) and not given to exercise, on and liked a pint.
My boss is a smoker (not massively though) and drinks vast amounts, most days, eats crap and is a bit red faced, expanding beer belly, but his BP is apparently fine, he told the doctor how much he drinks and the doctor always says that for most people they double it to get a realistic idea but he didn't think that was possible in his case and checked if the figure was a typo !
E65Ross said:
JumboBeef said:
The diastolic is the important one: this is the pressure your pipes are under all the time. If this is high, then you need to do something about it.
A lot of what you've written is good. That bit, however, is not. A high systolic pressure is every bit as dangerous. JumboBeef said:
This pressure goes up easily but also comes down quickly. Don't get too worried about this number, unless it is always high (particularly after being at rest for a while).
Just resurrecting this, does anyone else take their own bp and find its literally all over the place ?
I can take mine and it will be 138/75, then the next minute 123/66, then again 133/62.
Obviously a bit higher after just sitting down, but even when I have been sat down a while it fluctuates in a range of 20 for the top one and maybe 10 for the bottom one.
It is definitely coming down though, never used to see anything in the 120's
My doctor took mine and said it was high, got me to take it at home and record it and said it was ok and he would review in a year, really don't want the pills.
I can take mine and it will be 138/75, then the next minute 123/66, then again 133/62.
Obviously a bit higher after just sitting down, but even when I have been sat down a while it fluctuates in a range of 20 for the top one and maybe 10 for the bottom one.
It is definitely coming down though, never used to see anything in the 120's
My doctor took mine and said it was high, got me to take it at home and record it and said it was ok and he would review in a year, really don't want the pills.
J4CKO said:
Just resurrecting this, does anyone else take their own bp and find its literally all over the place ?
I can take mine and it will be 138/75, then the next minute 123/66, then again 133/62.
Obviously a bit higher after just sitting down, but even when I have been sat down a while it fluctuates in a range of 20 for the top one and maybe 10 for the bottom one.
It is definitely coming down though, never used to see anything in the 120's
My doctor took mine and said it was high, got me to take it at home and record it and said it was ok and he would review in a year, really don't want the pills.
Yes. I go into the surgery periodically & use their machine in the reception & hand in the results. They normally request 3 reading taken in a 10 min period. These often vary by as much as you are saying. I can take mine and it will be 138/75, then the next minute 123/66, then again 133/62.
Obviously a bit higher after just sitting down, but even when I have been sat down a while it fluctuates in a range of 20 for the top one and maybe 10 for the bottom one.
It is definitely coming down though, never used to see anything in the 120's
My doctor took mine and said it was high, got me to take it at home and record it and said it was ok and he would review in a year, really don't want the pills.
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