So, whenever I see my physician my blood pressure reads consistently around 162/80. This is with a normal cuff, most of the time. I read an article on this site called “what your doc doesn’t know about weightlifting” and it has some things to say about blood pressure readings. Even with a bigger cuff the reading is still pretty high… around 150/80.
Whether or not this is a “white coat syndrome” I’m not sure.
My biceps are around 16", which isn’t big enough for me to think cuff size would be an issue. My diet is relatively high in sodium, but I can’t imagine this alone would have that substantial of an effect on my BP. Any thoughts/advice/questions would be appreciated. I really don’t want to go on medication unnecessarily.
[quote]bpeloquin wrote:
20 y/o, another reason why high bp seems a little strange. [/quote]
I was diagnosed with high BP when I was 20. When they used the regular cuff on me, the readings were sky high and they wanted to admit me to the hospital right then and there.
I went for a second opinion a few days later and it was borderline high, with the larger cuff. My arms were smaller than 16 inches.
[quote]imhungry wrote:
I went for a second opinion a few days later and it was borderline high, with the larger cuff. My arms were smaller than 16 inches.
[/quote]
Do you recall what that ‘borderline’ reading was? Just out of curiosity. Any tips on how you’ve managed your blood pressure ?
I also had some bp issues about 2 years ago. Due to a preexisting medical condition my doctor said lower it, or go on medication.
I was about 145/80, which isn’t extremely high, but again, given my medical history, it had to go down.
After cutting out sodium, by using “no salt” salt substitutes (uses potassium rather than sodium), my blood pressure went down to about 120/70 and has stayed that way since (over 2 years).
So, you might look into this, and see if it makes a difference. I was very surprised by how much it went down, just by cutting down on the sodium intake.
EDIT: Just in case it matters to you, these blood pressure issues happened to me at age 18, I am now 20. Also, the preexisting condition that I have does not cause BP issues (I had a kidney disorder when I was 3), but the docs wanted it lower, to lower my risk of future kidney problems.
Thanks for the feedback.
I will definitely be looking for ways to cut my sodium, regardless of the blood pressure cuff’s accuracy. For BBB or others, in the event that the larger cuff reads high BP consistently, what would the next course of action be? Simply be on medication for the rest of my life ?
Obviously, I am not an MD. But, again my personal experience, was yes medication. ACE inhibitors was what they were going to subscribe. And as far I knew, that, yes, it was going to be a permanent thing. Being young, I didn’t want to have to take pills everyday, so I decided to change my diet and avoid that.
Buy a blood pressure cuff and stethoscope to take your own blood pressure from a medical supply store (if you don’t know how to do it, it is very simple, I would bet that someone at a medical supply store could show you how to do it). Change your diet and do more cardio. My numbers came down within the first week of eating differently.
Even if you do buy a cuff, and it isn’t very accurate, at the very least it would give you an idea of the relative change, and if what you are doing is making a difference.
an easy fix would be to swim for a couple of days during the week. Just make sure to slightly increase your intake of protein/carbs with a good, ‘clean’ source.
Don’t be afraid of losing your gains. In fact you might even have better gains because you swim. I think swimmers have some of the best bodies out of all the athletes which I see.
this is kind of an old thread, but im having similar issues. so, bpeloquin, if youre around, id like to know how this panned out for you.
i also have another symptom to add. for me, when my heart rate elevates, i get a borderline migraine headache that feels like a tension headeache. it starts in my neck and works its way up to the top of my head and makes my temples throb.
im also 20 years old. ive had about six or so BP readings in the past few days ranging anywhere from 141/72 to 171/92. its hard to go to the doc right now because something funky is goin on with my insurance. so any help here is greatly appreciated.
notes that ive taken so far:
-cut sodium intake a bit
-measure my own BP