BP is well down, but an increase in sodium drives it right back up. What to do?

[Messermann]

Hello. Through weight loss/exercise/no caffeine/low sodium/medication (Lisinopril-HCTZ 20-25mg), my blood pressure has dropped from about 190/110 to about 100/65. Cutting back on my sodium intake has made a profound difference. I am a 55 year old male, I exercise daily and I hydrate well.

Last weekend I had long-planned Saturday and Sunday dinner feast. On the menu (don't laugh) were pretzels (I dearly love pretzels) as an appetizer of sorts a couple of hours before dinner, tortilla chips and canned salsa (high in sodium), tomato/avocado/onion/pickle salad with season salt and salad dressing, hot dogs (Sat.) and cheeseburgers (Sun.), with cookies for dessert.

I gained a lot of weight -- mostly from retaining water, which has taken about a week to leave my body. No problem. The problem is that my BP shot up to 138/79 on Sat. and 144/82 on Sun. It too has dropped, over the past few days, almost back to where it was before my feast.

While the temporary weight gain isn't a big concern, the temporary rise in BP does have me concerned? Is it dangerous to eat a couple of big meals, now and then, knowing that my BP will rise sharply for several days?

I can imagine going to a BBQ for instance and easily consuming the amount of sodium I did last weekend. Any insights would be appreciated. I fear that if it really is a dangerous practice, it's something I'll cease and I'll really miss feasting once in a while (perhaps monthly?) What I'm not interested in is trying to make a feast more healthy. I would probably just go without altogether.

Thank you for any insights.

[Happyrosie]

I can see that this is a really high salt intake! I only take my BP monthly so it’s never occurred to me that this could happen. My salt intake is only high when I have a Chinese meal (and that was last night) so I shall take my pressure later this morning. What I would do in your position is contact the blood pressure association - their details are on the contact page - and get their take on this.

I guess you are not in the UK and there may be a similar organisation in your country. The Blood Pressure Association is a British charity but if you email them I imagine they will respond regardless.

[Ecki]

I'm not a doctor but in my opinion, as a non medical person, it's not too significant if its something you rarely do. BP fluctuates enormously anyway, throughout the day, depending on what you are doing. I think when it's high for a sustained period, that when it can cause other issues. Have you considered spreading out the salt intake, maybe have a smaller amount of treats but a bit more often, rather than having it all in one hit?