Blood pressure

[CougTek]

I've been monitoring my blood pressure for a few weeks. While my diastolic pressure always is in the desirable range, my systolic pressure indicates that I do prehypertension. Among the main cause of prehypertension, the only one I have is a sedentary life style. I don't smoke, only causally drink, am not overweighted and I pay a special attention not to eat too much sodium. There's a family history of hypertension on my mother's side too.

I know I haven't been very active physically during the past two years (worked too much) and maybe that's why I show signs of hypertension. Is the systolic pressure more accurate than the diastolic pressure to indicate clearly that one suffers from hypertension?

 

[Bozo]

See a doctor!

 

[CougTek]

Doctors here are little more than pills dispenser. 10-15 minutes per patient max so that they can pass the beautiful sunshine card (our version of medicare) and collect their state-provided money. I'd rather find the reason/cause/treatment by myself. Fixing a human body can't be much more complicated than fixing computers and I have plenty of experience in fixing computers.

 

[LunarMist]

See a doctor fopr treatment and keep monitoring until you get it under control.

 

[Santilli]

CT:
My understanding is blood pressure is usually caused by a lack of regular aerobic activity. I'm going into baseball, and just gained 10 pounds, so this is an issue for me.

A solution I'm looking at is a small, stationary bike that I could still do work, while I'm pedaling. Your heart has a target range that should be maintained for a certain period of time,
depending on weight and conditioning. The constant pumping opens up arteries and veins, the major cause of high blood pressure.

 

[LunarMist]

Doctors here are little more than pills dispenser. 10-15 minutes per patient max so that they can pass the beautiful sunshine card (our version of medicare) and collect their state-provided money. I'd rather find the reason/cause/treatment by myself. Fixing a human body can't be much more complicated than fixing computers and I have plenty of experience in fixing computers.

Since you are in pretty good shape from what I understand, it may not be simply a matter of more exercise. There are otherwise healthy athletes with hypertension for example. I understand your reluctance to take medication, but hypertension is one of the easier ones to treat and there are a number of generally well tolerated options.

 

[ddrueding]

Might I also recommend some anger management? I can only imagine what your heart rate is like during a destruction session...

 

[LunarMist]

Might I also recommend some anger management? I can only imagine what your heart rate is like during a destruction session...

That would be a good time to measure it.

 

[time]

Firstly, "prehypertension" is an imaginary condition without empirical support. AFAIK, studies that have shown benefits from lowering BP involve subjects suffering from significant hypertension.

Secondly, your BP rises with age, particularly the systolic. Again, this makes "prehypertension" a meaningless classification in isolation.

Thirdly, a marked increase in Systolic without a corresponding increase in diastolic *may* be more clinically significant (i.e. increased "pulse pressure", which is the difference between the two). On the other hand, it may just mean you are getting old.

Fourthly, genetics trumps everything, so if your ancestors had high blood pressure, accept that you will too. I once knew a guy with systolic regularly over 200, but his whole family was like that.

My lay opinion is that for anything below 140/90, you should definitely avoid medication and instead increase exercise a bit. 130/85 at your age would be fine and no cause for any concern whatsoever.

 

[CougTek]

Thirdly, a marked increase in Systolic without a corresponding increase in diastolic *may* be more clinically significant (i.e. increased "pulse pressure", which is the difference between the two).

Most of the time, I average ~135/~68. Is that what you're talking about? I'll try to go take a walk more often. I probably don't move enough. I either train hard or do absolutely nothing. Guess I'll have to add a medium exercice period on my daily schedule. I don't plan to start taking pills as long as my systolic pressure doesn't climb over 140 systematically.

 

[LunarMist]

Oh, I would not worry about that BP yet. Keep checking it because usually it increases with age.

 

[Santilli]

Distinct possibility that you aren't training your aerobic system, but your anarobic system. In other words, you have a target range for aerobics, and if you go to fast, and have high blood pressure to begin with, you easily go into a range where you aren't training your aerobic system, but building lots of toxins in anarobic.

Get a heart monitor, find a chart for your age and body type, and aim at 30 minutes, 3-4 times a week, in your target aerobic zone. I use super and giant sets to accomplish the same function lifting weights.

That said, Lacrosse and basketball have done that for me.

Genetics are a big deal on this stuff, but, you can really effect it with regular, aerobic ex. Larry Holmes had a resting heart beat in the low 30's, from all that work. Good for the system.

 

[jtr1962]

Try to get an average of many readings before anything. My BP can be all over the place, so I don't put much stock in any one reading. Just now it was 152/92. A few days ago it was 133/80. I've seen it as low as 90/60. A lot depends upon what I eat, how much I drink, how much I exercise. When I eat lots of junk food without increasing my water intake my BP goes way up. When I'm eating healthy and exercising it goes way down. I use my resting HR to judge if I'm exercising enough. Months when I bike 400+ miles, I've seen numbers in the mid 40s. Other months when I'm more sedentary it can get into the mid or even high 50s.

Your readings aren't high enough to really be concerned about. As time said, it's normal for BP to rise with age. I even told this to my mom when her doctors started her on pills a few years ago. Doctors expect someone 70+ to have the same readings as a 20 year old, then give them pills when they don't.

My suggestions for now are to drink more water, avoid salty foods to some extent (but not to the point where you're so sodium deficient you collapse on a hot day), and exercise when you can. See if this brings your BP back into a more normal range, although your numbers aren't all that high for someone your age.

 

[jtr1962]

One more thing-BP rises if you're ill. I've had a mild case of the flu for the last few weeks which accounts for my higher than normal readings.

 

[time]

Most of the time, I average ~135/~68 ... I don't plan to start taking pills as long as my systolic pressure doesn't climb over 140 systematically.

68 is pretty low, so low in fact that medication might be contra-indicated - from what I've read, it could actually increase your risk of a cardiac event (although ACE inhibitors are supposed to be compatible).

Some possibilities to explain the high pulse pressure:

1. You've been exercising or exerting yourself before taking the measurements - you need to rest beforehand.
2. Wrong-size BP cuff. Seriously, if it's too big or too small, the results will be bogus.
3. You're not attaching the cuff high enough up the arm or you're putting it on over a shirt sleeve.
4. You're pregnant.
5. You're a body builder.
6. You've got something wrong with you. This one needs a cardiologist and tests to identify.

I would compare readings with your parent and siblings, particularly your brother (because he's not female).

 

[CougTek]

68 is pretty low, so low in fact that medication might be contra-indicated - from what I've read, it could actually increase your risk of a cardiac event (although ACE inhibitors are supposed to be compatible).

Some possibilities to explain the high pulse pressure:

1. You've been exercising or exerting yourself before taking the measurements - you need to rest beforehand.
2. Wrong-size BP cuff. Seriously, if it's too big or too small, the results will be bogus.
3. You're not attaching the cuff high enough up the arm or you're putting it on over a shirt sleeve.
4. You're pregnant.
5. You're a body builder.
6. You've got something wrong with you. This one needs a cardiologist and tests to identify.

I would compare readings with your parent and siblings, particularly your brother (because he's not female).

My younger brother is 50lbs heavier than I am and has almost three times higher body fat than I have. He's been training 4-5 times a week for the past nine months though, but was severely overweighted for the previous 8 years. We have very different body proportions. I'm not sure there is much to compare between him and I.

Of the list you've written, #5 is a hit. I've been training quite hard in my life. Most of it in strenght training or powerlifting. What does it have to do with high pulse pressure? I haven't clicked on the link you've made to "high pulse pressure" yet. Maybe I should have before posting, but since I'm close to finalising this post, I just don't want to waste it and have to rewrite it all over agin.

Thank you all for your contribution here. It is good to have so many intakes on the subject.

 

[Santilli]

CT:
That kind of training almost never gets into the aerobic heart rate range. Plus, I suspect the diet required to really build muscle doesn't promote low blood pressure.
Also, steroids aren't known for helping blood pressure, and I suspect they are legal in Canada?

I'd start looking at methods of kicking your metabolism into high gear a lot of the time. Drinking cold water a lot, doing cycles that focus on cutting and aerobic heart rates.

Get a heart monitor, and tailor your work out so you are hitting around 120-140 BPM for a half hour, 3 times a day.

Your anger issues sound like classic like supplement issues.

 

[CougTek]

I never took steroids in my life. I've always been against their usage. I've always believed that you should only go up to what your standard diet allows you to go. I try to integrate protein-rich food (not supplements) in my diet during the periods I train the most, but that's as far as I've ever been. I may have eaten red meat too often compared to what's recommended for a healthy diet.

 

[Santilli]

I don't think I ever talk about it much, but the place I worked out at was called Power Unlimited in Santa cruz, from about 1980-85. I learned a lot from these guys.
Dave Draper was there:
http://www.davedraper.com/fusionbb/showtopic.php?tid/1584/post/588808/
Reason he didn't want to be bothered was his water bottle was spiked with Vodka. Did finally get to his liver,IIRC, and he's better now.
Lynn Morris, Ron Morris the owners' wife, squated more then I could dead lift at the time, for sets.

Ron Morris STILL holds the masters Cal deadlift record:
242LBS/110KG RON MORRIS 650.3 295 05/30/1987
http://www.usapl-ca.org/records/CALIFORNIA STATE MEN DEADLIFT SINGLE LIFT.pdf

Anyway, a chiropractor who is into fitness, say Franco Columbo, might really help with some of the questions you have.

 

[Santilli]

One of the tricks I learned from Archie Moore: Red meat blood. You want mean, and rage? It works.
When I was boxing in hope of the 1980 Olympics, and doing martial arts I would take the blood and fat run off from the prime ribs we cooked at the restaurant. After the rib was cooked, and when it was cut, blood would run off.
The cooks would save it for me, skim off the fat, and I'd drink it.
I can't help but think the steroids they feed beef, along with the fact we are predators/meat eaters has a lot to do with the reaction I got from it. I had to be very careful to do it before I was going home, or to work out, since it really was
a hormone rush. Very intense.

Anyway, trying to build muscle they say these days requires at least your body weight in grams of protein, per day. I find it really hard to consume this much protein, but whey protein has helped, and I have some supplements from perhaps the best sup house in the world:
https://www.anabol.com/about-us/info_1.html?ccUser=
Anabol Naturals

Been using their stuff since 1980.

You are probably better off in the long run, staying with your approach. However, I will say that whey protein bars, amino acids, though at my age they create too much acid in my stomach, if I'm not careful, Creatine, etc.
are excellent ways to build muscle. Also, once you get it on, to keep it on. It's very hard to eat enough protein to reach that goal, without using supps.

The stationary bike is a vital training tool as you get older. Put the seat down, hit the bike, and it works, and loosens your lower back muscles, muscles that have a tendency to lock up when doing a lot of dead lifting, and squats.

My problem has been as I get older, the body aches more. Today I did two 9 year olds baseball games, that's 5 hours of squats to parallel and hold, then back up again. This locked my back up tight last week, and I had two days of cramping/screaming level 10 pain, and only a chiropractor could break my back loose.

I'll be going again tomorrow, if I can make it.