Scared - High BP

Ive always had normal Blood pressure. I should not be surprised that its high, I guess it was bound to catch up with me. Im 42 and apprx 80-90 lbs overweight. I actually feel really good other than my anxiety and stress is a little high? Before taking my BP I had drank a Grande 16oz Starbucks espresso drink. Im hoping the combination of the caffeine and walking around caused these high readings? Regardless I need to lose weight and this gave me a huge wake up call.

My first reading was 140/91. I started to get a little anxious so I repeated it- it was like 178/96? Major anxiety set in and my heart was racing. I decided to go to a different kiosk across the street to check the reading on a different machine? Readings were still 167/96. Im scared. I know I need to go to the doctor even though Ill pay out of pocket, but Id like to take action and get these lowered. Any suggestions? Thank you

[Hidden]

A good place to start is by visiting bloodpressureuk.org/Home which will give all the information you need about Hypertension. It will tell you what your blood pressure should be ideally, and how to lower it to nearer that. My BP last time was 150/80 which is better than it used to be, but I take blood pressure tablets. Getting anxious won't help though. xx

[ntyler37]

Sorry, but a laughed when I read the 16oz espresso! That would definitely do it.

HBP is serious though so cutting out the coffee would be a really good start.

[Zazzel]

You sound like you know some of the answers already. You just need to buckle down and

1. Excercise

2. Eat more fruits and veggies and less red meat and fast foods

3. Practice some form of meditation- yoga or listen to free guided meditations on YouTube

4. Cut back on sodium-. Fast food and processed food is loaded with it. Don't add extra salt to food. Condiments have a ton of salt and sugar.

5. Cut back on sugar and caffeine

6. Take magnesium supplements

If you do all these things you will probably see a nice drop in your blood pressure, however, there could also be some other underlying issues like pre diabetes or kidney disease.

Getting annual physicals is really important and worth the money. Our bodies can handle a lot of abuse for many years, but in our 40s and 50s the toll we've put on it finally shows up. I'm 50 and I would say 75% of my friends are on medication for one thing or another.

But, the good news is, with excercise, a healthy diet and a balanced life, you truly can help heal your body.

Sending you healing thoughts and many blessings for a speedy reduction in your blood pressure!

[Hidden]

As mentioned above Lifestyle and Nutrition are keys to lowering BP, Medication is NOT a solution its just a band aid to keep the problem under control. Take health into your own hands and out of the hands of the greedy drug companies that will do anything to keep you on a pill FOREVER.