Is my recent rise in blood pressure a problem?!
Question: I am a mid-40s male about 5' 8"and since January I lost about 10 pounds from 198 to 188 from more exercise, eating less and a bout with the flu. However I just found my blood pressure has risen from 135/85 to about 155/95. How worried about this increase should I be?
Answers: I am a mid-40s male about 5' 8"and since January I lost about 10 pounds from 198 to 188 from more exercise, eating less and a bout with the flu. However I just found my blood pressure has risen from 135/85 to about 155/95. How worried about this increase should I be?
One thing to keep in mind is the fact that your blood pressure is very dynamic. It can vary highly from minute to minute and emotion to emotion. It is best to measure your blood pressure over a few days or even a couple weeks to get a good range. If it was pretty high that one time it could have been something as simple as a very stressful day or even a malfunctioning digital cuff.
If this has been a consistent thing it may be time to make additional some lifestyle changes, a big one being decreasing your sodium intake. Sodium prevents the body from eliminating water, so water stays in the vascular system and other areas of the body, keeping the pressure higher. Exercise should also be very helpful. Avoid coffee (really hard, I know!) because it makes your heart rate speed up, which in turn raises your BP. Definitely no diet pills or other stimulants.
If your BP does not improve or continues to climb, see your doc to evaluate further and possible prescribe some BP medication. And remember, high blood pressure can lead to lots of problems, such as erectile dysfunction, kidney failure, strokes and fatal brain aneurysms. So take care of this now if at all possible.
Not necessarily. You should get it checked each time you go to the doctor & if u are ever near one of those blood pressure machines in CVS/Walgreens/Walmart.. but 155/95 isn't very bad.
The most important number is the lower one and it really shouldn't exceed 100 - so you are sort of borderline, but I wouldn't be too worried.
You might have just been stressed the day you got your blood pressure taken.
This is not life threatening at the present time, but you should definetely call your physician and make an appointment. Keep monitoring your blood pressure to make sure it doesn't go any higher, and watch for any unusual symptoms. Also to help a bit you can try to decrease your salt intake, that plays a big factor in hypertension.
if it continues, it is sign of an issue. Normal should be down around 125 for the upper number. 155 is significantly above that.
You are kinda young for a B/P like that..
We are more concerned with the bottom number as that is when your heart is a rest...
get some sleep...decrease stress...lower your salt intake and try it again...
If it stays like that, you need to consult your doctor.