BLOOD PRESSURE

[Charlieboy88]

hi, i am in my early 60`s and have been asked to monitor my blood pressure by the nurse practitioner at home over the past seven days the average reading is morning 148/87 and 153/89,i am fairly fit, i cycle long distances and walk regularly, according to my fit-bit my average resting heart rate is around 63bpm, my cardio fitness is 43-47 which is excellent , should i be concerned? any tips for lowering the blood pressure i have decided to cut out alcohol completely any other tips would be helpful, will i be prescribed medication? or is it more a life style change, hopefully someone has been in a similar position, am i heading towards a stroke/heart attack? is it worth taking an aspirin daily? thanks

[Kristin1812 Heart Star]

if the professionals recommend BP pills at that stage, I would take them. I had similar readings, all above 148, which triggered the GP to investigate and then suggest BP pills.

I decided to try lifestyle changes first. Upping my exercise, and losing a bit of weight. I didnt smoke and drank v little. It wasnt enough. I had three (small) HAs soon after, and just wish I’d taken their pills!

This is simply my story and my risk factors may have been very different to yours now.

[Charlieboy88 in reply to Kristin1812]

thanks for your reply, basically i am trying to find out as much information as possible ,it was just a bit of shock as i regularly cycle 30 -40 miles and have a BMI of 25, sorry to hear you had three small HA`s out of curiosity what are the symptoms of having a small HA?sorry for being so inquisitive but i feel the more i know might benefit me.

[Afibflipper]

bhf.org.uk/informationsuppo...

I can’t comment about your personal BP other than ask your healthcare provider about other symptoms you may have noticed. There are many things that can raise you BP - your weight, alcohol intake, high salt diet, smoking and more. Check out the info link above

I wouldn’t take aspirin without Dr or pharmacist advice - you may be on other meds or have conditions that may contraindicate this.

Have they told you how often to check your BP? Morning & evening is usual but may ask for 3 or 4 times a day. Have they provided the machine arm cuffs are better (wrist ones not so accurate I’ve been told). I take it health card provider knows you cycle - perhaps they want your readings at rest and post exercise (maybe you should ask if you should ask if it’s still appropriate to do what you do already distance/time/speed.or limit )

Obviously I don’t know if you just went for general health check or did you go symptoms

Your provider should be the one to tell you your risk for heart attack or stroke - and if you know yourself certain things are factors generally, like weight/diet/smoking - your GP/nurses will assist with advices too

Good luck and we’ll done with the cycling

[Charlieboy88 in reply to Afibflipper]

im checking it morning and evening and the figures i posted are an average of the morning and evening readings, it was a general health check and i hand the results in tuesday , thanks for your reply

[Afibflipper in reply to Charlieboy88]

At least now it can get sorted, write any question down as if I don’t I think later didn’t ask this or that - good luck

[Blackcatsooty]

Dear Charlie

Welcome on board

It is good if your lifestyle can be used to settle your BP.

Do keep in touch with you GP.

if your Gp recommends pills, then take them

My BP wavered at your age. And I then had a stroke. I was told that I was unlucky to suffer a stroke, but believe me, you don’t want a stroke. Lucky or not. My life is ruined by the after effects of a stroke.

Seven years later I needed a new aortic valve. Whether these two problems are linked I do not know. I would stress that a replacement valve is a big op, but a stroke is in another category.

Please take your GP advice seriously. Retirement can be wonderful, so make sure you are well enough to enjoy it.

Best wishes

Sooty

[Charlieboy88 in reply to Blackcatsooty]

thanks for your reply i hand my results in tuesday and will push for an appointment with a GP, sorry to hear what you have been through

[Hidden]

if you are prescribed meds take them, and look at lifestyle at the same time in that priority order. lifestyle changes on their own (in cases where meds are required) cannot work fast enough whereas the right med can. with all your current healthy habits they still suspect high blood pressure. Lots of advice on bhf site. Hopefully you won’t need them but if they give meds take them. Good luck. Nip it in the bud!

[Charlieboy88 in reply to Hidden]

thanks for your reply i am after advice and it looks like take the meds if offered is the general opinion which i will do , i will also change my lifestyle if i hadn't come on here i would be non the wiser so like you mentioned i hope to nip it in the bud, knowledge is power

[Heythrop51]

I had elevated BP and cholesterol a few years sgo. Whilst losing weight and more exercise improved things I needed an ACE inhibitor and a statin to get into the optimum rangrs. Part is just she - it happens and we all want to delay the option! 😁

[Chappychap]

There's no dodging the fact, your blood pressure is high. The NHS guidelines are that a systolic reading above 140 warrants intervention, and you have to get systolic readings below 120 to be considered back in the safe/normal zone.

You ask if you're heading towards a heart attack or stroke?

The average 62 year old UK man who has never had a heart attack or stroke has an 11% chance of a heart attack or stroke in the next ten years, assuming they're a non smoker. However, that same average man, but with systolic blood pressure of 150, so similar to yours, would see their chance of a heart attack or stroke in the next ten years rise from 11% to 12.5%.

That's a measure of the added risk from your level of blood pressure. But it needs some qualification. Blood pressure isn't a static measure that remains fixed throughout your life, it will often drift higher. If your systolic scores rose from 150 to 170 then your risk of a heart attack/stroke in the next 10 years would increase from 12.5% to 15%. The other thing is that the risk of high blood pressure is somewhat skewed towards stroke, so it's especially positive that you've identified it as a problem and are serious about addressing it.

I also mentioned earlier that all this assumed you were a non-smoker. To illustrate why smoking is so lethal, if you smoked twenty cigarettes a day then, in addition to all the cancer risks, your odds of a heart attack/stroke in the next ten years would rocket to over 20%. That's Russian Roulette territory!

The good news is that there's plenty you can do to reduce your blood pressure. Along with blood sugar/HbA1c scores, blood pressure is one of the more serious heart attack risk factors that are most controllable.

Prescription medicines, most commonly in the form of a beta-blocker such as Bisoprolol, are really effective in reducing blood pressure. The results will vary from person to person but it can easily slash 10 to 20 points from your systolic scores.

Then there are life style changes. More good news in that these can be massively effective for lowering blood pressure. You already exercise but I found that reducing salt in my diet was just as effective as losing two stones (and believe me, losing two stones was really effective in reducing my blood pressure!). The problem though in our modern world is that salt is everywhere, so cutting down is harder than you might think. Most packaged/processed foods have a lot of added salt, and virtually all take-aways and fast food products are absolutely stuffed with salt. So it's a bigger and more complex diet change than you might at first think.

I'd also double check that the exercise you're doing is the right exercise for reducing blood pressure. When you say "long cycle rides" I'm assuming it's the kind of serious aerobic work-out that the NHS recommends for a minimum of 150 minutes per week? But if it's more of a gentle peddle on flat roads then you many need to look at something more demanding, but that's a big subject in it's own right so I'll leave it there.

The bottom line is that by identifying the problem you're already half way to a cure, so congratulations on that and good luck for the future!

[Charlieboy88 in reply to Chappychap]

hi thanks for the reply its very informative and just what i was after, my cycle rides are longer rides in the summer but they are aerobic workouts in the garage through the winter (lots of sweating thats why i was shocked by the readings, i plan to try and lose some weight and alter my diet drastically i will also now look for all salt content. If my GP recommends or even gives me a choice regards prescription drugs i will gladly accept as most replies on here recommend taking them then concentrate on my lifestyle. so once again thanks.

[devonian186 in reply to Charlieboy88]

Are you taking BP correctly? Often they are rushed. Guidelines are on the web but basically you need five minutes of complete calm before taking the first reading and the monitor should be at the correct height. Few nurses take them correctly as they are often rushed. at 25BMI you are right on the limit of being the correct weight. Might dropping a few more pounds help although you seem very fit?

[Mentdent]

Take the tablets they offer. They work for me and no unpleasant side effects. High blood pressure is a silent killer and while yours is not dramatically elevated it’s better safe than sorry.

[jerry12953 in reply to Mentdent]

Just wondered if you meant to say "NOT dramatically elevated"?

[Mentdent in reply to jerry12953]

yes I missed the NOT bit out and I’ve corrected it thanks.

[peterjones105]

In some cases like mine Caffeine is a major cause of raised BP, although I am on Ramipril and Amlodopine my BP didn't settle down within safe limits until I eradicated Caffeine from my diet; why not try giving up all tea, coffee and chocolate for a couple of weeks to see what impact it has on your BP.?Good luck.

[Hrty]

My high BP was picked up during a medical to register with a new GP. I'd just turned 40. I was relatively fit and only smoked "socially". I cycled a lot back then, had done Lands End to John O'Groats a few years previously, and played badminton. Eventually I was put on tablets to get my BP down. I've been on a few different ones over the years, including Atenolol although that was stopped when my HR dropped into the 30s.Roll foward the years and the stresses of work had taken their toll and my weight had crept up, smoking increased and I was probably drinking too much. Luckily, I was made redundant which coincided with discovering I was pre diabetic. I took early retirement, started exercising, took control of my diet, stopped smoking (6 years now) amd managed to lose 3.5 stone, get my HB1AC and cholesterol into normal ranges and the GP was talking about reducing BP medicatio .

But, then life decided to kick me in the proverbials and several family crises, including "that" virus, led to me taking my eye off the ball. Weight went up and diet went awol, although I stayed off the fags. My cholesterol went up, was offered statins but refused as I didn't want more meds. The irony isn't lost on me as I had a HA at the end of November and am now on even more daily meds.

Personally (now) I'd take any meds offered, they can always reduce/stop the dosage once/if lifestyle changes improve. I now wish I'd taken the statin when first offered. Hindsight is a wonderful thing 😀

Best of luck.

[Samazeuilh2]

Cut salt, cut stress, lose any excess weight if there is any. Buy yourself a blood pressure monitor so you can monitor beyond 7 days.

[HeartyJames]

I also used to cycle 50 miles (A heck of a lot more when younger) and walk long distances before heart attack at age 56. A lot of cyclists are fit actively but their arteries are not. I think a lot of it is complacency. The BP is a warning sign. Your heart rate is ok but nothing special as mine was always 40's but I have pacemaker now. Anyway, Cut down on your carbs to a small amount, cut out all salts except when hot and active. Keep hydrated and make sure you measure your BP properly , not just after exercise. To note, a lot of active people end up with cardiac issues. Alchohol would not have helped at all and any other drugs.

If you are overweight get rid of it. so if you cycle and so on its often used to say " Oh I am fit I can eat what I like).

[MountainGoat52]

Hi Charlie,

I was in a similar situation to yourself with a reasonably high blood pressure despite undertaking regular exercise and keeping fit. As a non-smoker, drinking very little alcohol, with an excellent low salt, low fat diet, I must say I was surprised to find myself in such a situation. I was prescribed blood pressure medication which corrected the situation, but after several years my blood pressure suddenly started to rise.

With hindsight it is clear that what I was going through in my work life at the time had a significant impact on my blood pressure and also on other aspects of my health. My GP attempted to correct the blood pressure situation by increasing my medication, but ultimately it was stress that was a prime factor in me having a heart attack.

What I am saying is, do not ignore outside influences such as work in relation to your health. It looks like you will probably be prescribed medication for your blood pressure, but that is treating the symptoms. Determining the cause is more imporrant, so consider all aspects of your life.

With my very best wishes,

Gerald

[Blackknight57]

148/89 is a tad high. Take the pills.

Im on BP pills which brings down my heart rate.

Before my mi i was at 122/ 67, my bpm was just over 70

Now 97/65 and 55bpm.

[Rovelli]

I brought my blood pressure down by reducing the stress in my life and reducing the cycling. It's difficult to admit that I'm not superman, and I'm not even what I was.

[emjay18]

I am oldish and had a triple bypass 4 years ago because I had a calcium score of 1800 , maybe I still have but no one is interested in checking it again. Two months ago I saw by GP (!) and he took my blood pressure and said it was 165 over 101 or something like that. I said that was much higher than I expected and he asked when I had last had a cup of coffee. I said 35 minutes since a largish get-me-going cup. He said go away and take some more readings much longer after coffee. Three hours later I recorded 129 / 81 - used 2 test rigs and averaged 3 readings from each and am still repeating these sorts of values by delaying coffee.

[Deeb1764]

hello I have been trying flaxseed oil. This has helped a little and checked it with GP as well. So maybe worth reading up on discussing

[Engineer46]

You might want to look at the NICE guidance, which includes discussion of the pros and cons of lifestyle changes and medication:

nice.org.uk/guidance/ng136/...

If you decide to take medication, discuss with your GP the idea of taking a small dose first and working up to the recommended dose, as this may help with potential side effects. Also, if it is suggested that you take more than one drug, ask if it would be a good idea to start with one first, to make sure that you don't have side effects, before starting the second.

Let us know how you get on.

Paul

[Homely2]

I upped my exercise and tried to lose some weight when I was diagnosed with high blood pressure, ranging from 150 over 90 up into the 200 over 110. My self help methods did not really help my blood pressure though, probably because I was already in reasonable shape. I was a keen mountain walker. My reason for high bloods was a gp who dismissed the issue and treatment was only started on his retirement.

I found the blood pressure tablets no problem, though you have to check particular beta blockers for interactions with other drugs.

However when I was diagnosed with asthma, I found that as my asthma came under control, so did my blood pressure as did my arrythmia. I am now in the 120 range and down to two blood pressure tablets and looking to reduce their dosage. My issue doing this is that if my asthma flares so does my blood pressure, and strangely I only see a doctor when my asthma is flaring, so they think I still have high blood pressure.

So I am interested in the idea that increasing blood pressure can be a symptom of another ailment, or maybe more likely, a symptom of the stress of having that ailment, as well as all the traditional causes.

[Charlieboy88]

just an update and thanks to everyone that replied , just spoke to my doctor and as my readings are high and have been for a while (he looked at my readings from 2015) he mentioned it could be hereditary? he has prescribed amlodipine 5 mg,one a day hopefully this does the trick, i still plan to lose my little extra weight, why does it take a health scare to do this ? it shouldn't really 😀