How can I get my blood pressure down, and how quickly?

[BIWItheBold]

Am 52. Today, bp at GPs measured at 143/95. Cue request for further blood tests etc.

I have recently lost 1.5 stones
I go to the gym for a session with my personal trainer twice a week (sometimes fit in a session on my own as well if I have the time)
I eat a low carb diet
I have cut down my alcohol consumption - drink only at the weekends (unless I'm out during the week, although this isn't that often (I could cut this down further if I had to)
I drink 3-4 cups of coffee a day
I use salt in my cooking but rarely on my food (I could cut this down too)

Any suggestions as to what I could do positively, as well as cutting things down/out?

TIA

52 - no way, I don't believe you

Almost 53!

Ok that wasn't helpful

My BP, 2 years ago was 210/98! I lost weight cut down drinking a bit and got exercise from walking, also never put salt into food when cooking unless it potatoes.

And I still couldn't get mine down, I now take 3 lots of meds for it.

Unfortunately for me, its a family trait. Does anyone have it in your family?
It's possible you were stressed?

But you look so young

Bit stressed - twitchy eye, outbreak of prickly heat/exczema, suspected cystitis (blood in urine), not sleeping well

Not sure about family history (but father has all manner of diabetic-related issues), and DM no longer with us.

Ah well those can all push your BP up, mine was high today when i went for a check and I am really stressed.

have they asked you to go back for another reading or just for bloods?
With me, I ahd to go 3 times a week for 2 weeks at various times of day to get readings, then had to wear one of those monitor things.

So far just for bloods. Once the results of those come in, I'm guessing I'll have to go in again. So I'm aiming to get it down within a fortnight or so, if possible.

1. don't use salt at all in cooking. there's plenty of naturally occuring sodium in bread, cheese etc without adding to it. may also be worth you upping the home cooking.

1. go for a 1/2 hour brisk walk the days you don't see personal trainer.

1. oh and 3 - despite the stern looks etc from doctors, 143/95 isn't that bad, and you might find that taking more readings and/or a 24 hour monitor, that the reading comes out lower anyway.

1. the blood tests are a routine precaution, unlikely to turn anything up. and don't panic if they suggest an ECG, again that's a relatively easy check for them to run.

1. ibuprofen can put up bp slightly, but paracetamol doesn't.

Beetroot juice drunk regularly has been shown to reduce bp. Hypnosis can work too

I'm the same age as you, BIW, and started taking meds 18 months ago - I'm not overweight, don't add salt to cooking/food, do a fair bit of walking (though could do more!), and neither smoke nor drink alcohol. Definitely a genetic component for me, my Dad has been on bp meds for 20+ years (he's 85 now and fit as a flea), my uncle for at least 10. I just started early.

All that said, its true - your numbers are not all that high: mine were around the 140-150/80-90 mark, and after a 24 hour monitor my GP said it was up to me: watch and wait, or low dose meds. She wasn't very worried. I chose meds, as I tend to worry - which doesn't help the BP either

One thing that definitely pushes my BP up is coffee: I only had one cup a day, but even that made a difference. Strongly recommend cutting caffeine if you can bear to....

Thanks all!

I am planning:

• cut coffee down to one cup per day (don't think I could go without that first-thing-in-the-morning cup)
• stop cooking with salt as much as I can (I cook from scratch so that is easy to monitor)
• cut alcohol right down
• add more gym/fitness stuff

...and am hoping that general recovery from skin issues/cystitis will also help

...and will explore beetroot juice as well!

Salt is the big one. You're right to cut it out and get in to the habit of looking at the salt content of everything.

A tip I was given by a nurse to remember when you are sitting in the surgery room and the blood pressure cuff is being wrapped around your arm - do not say anything and just relax into the chair. Just chatting with the nurse/doctor means you are not able to fully relax.

I second the beetroot juice which is usually diluted with apple juice to improve the taste. Give up salt completely!

I would say try a magnesium supplement. The twitchy eye can be a sign of magnesium insufficiency. Iy takes calcium to contract a muscles and magnesium to relax it, and your heart is one big muscle.

143/95 is really not that high on a one off basis. It could also be "white coat" hypertension. You should buy yourself a monitor and check it a few times a day to see where it really averages. If it is still high, weight loss is meant to be helpful, as is cutting out all caffeine (I failed on that one). Too much salt pushes up blood pressure but you do need some, especially if exercising hard.

If it is "essential" hypertension, though, you may just have to take some regular low dose antihypertensives. The more you can do for yourself, the better, though.

Get rid of sugar and salt from your diet as far as you can sensibly

So no crisps/savoury snacks and cakes sugar cereal etc go, these types of sugars and slats are just not needed and biscuits are loaded with salt if shop purchased.

Dump the coffee and tea - switch decaf if you must but they will effect you but you don't know until you have given up for 6 months and then have a coffee that isn't decaf - then you find you are bouncing off the walls and hitting the ceiling and begin to understand the stress you were putting on your body under.

I would also suggest some meditation, just 10 minutes each day - there are plenty of meditation clips on youtube, so find one you like and sit quitely each day once per day and listen and relax. Ideal do this more than once if you can fit it in, if not around 5pm is a good time

I'm a long term low carber, so no sugar in my diet - no cakes, chocolate, fruit, etc

Acupuncture helps, and pineapplejuice, in addition to all the above.