Q: I am a 64 year old man who has exercised all my life, am far from being over weight, and watch my diet very closely. I neither smoke nor drink. My blood pressure has maintained a level of being normal for years, and now all of a sudden it seems to be on the move upward. At last reading in the doctor’s office, it measured 152/74. The doctor suggested the DASH diet and prescribed linisopril. I have never been a advocate of taking alot of medication, and would hope that there may be an alternative to this type of treatment. I have tried to figure out what might be causing my problem, and my only conclusion would be that my parents were both being treated for high blood pressure and genetics might play a part. I have also experienced a great deal of stress over the past two years and very seldom get more than five hours a sleep each night. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
A: Genetics plays a role in the development of high blood pressure as does just getting older. Having a regular exercise program and eating right are very important in maintaining good health. So is sleep. You are not getting enough sleep. Adults need seven to nine hours of sleep (see this article on the Center for Disease Control and Prevention on how much sleep adults need). It is well known that stress contributes to high blood pressure. The Resperate has been clinically proven to lower blood pressure. It is not a drug. Many Resperate users say regular use helps relieve stress and they sleep better at night. You should ask your doctor about trying the Resperate.
Further Reading:
High Blood Pressure and Genetics – LowerYourBloodPressureNow.org
Insufficient Sleep Linked To High Blood Pressure – MedicalNewsToday.com
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I would love to send this to the Obama Administration and show them why Health Care is out of control. NO WAY a blood pressure “in office” of 152/74 should be put on any medication.
Now with linisopril this person is facing headaches and being tired to the point they cannot get to sleep or stay asleep. Add in the fact they were only sleeping 5 hours and we have a Doctor that either is uneducated about the medicine or did not listen to the patient.
I took lisinipril for one year, developed a horrible caugh, ignored that because I was not made aware that this was a side effect from the drug. I firmly believe the drug caused Asthma.
Had scarred lungs before taking the drug and the caugh further caused damage to my lungs.
Respectfully, I am not sure I would start medication with only one isolated reading of a systolic pressure of 152 over a diastolic of 72 in the low-normal range. Did you you take your blood pressure over a series of weeks to determine the average over time?
Have you ever had high blood pressure when the doctor took your blood pressure before? Many people suffer from “white-coat hypertension”, myself included. My blood pressure is always high when taken by a nurse or a doctor, but when I am home, I can maintain it in the normal range. I mention this because you said, “at least in the doctor’s office”. If your blood pressure is normal away from the doctor’s office, I certainly would not worry about it if it were me!
I agree that you need more sleep, and your sleep should be on a consistent schedule…..IF that is causing your blood pressure to rise.
STRESS is the big factor for me, also. When I exercise regularly, at least 5 days per week, my blood pressure is much lower than when I skip several days. If you are not on that regular of an aerobic exercise program, consider that consistent aerobic exercise has the potential to not only relieve stress, but also to lower blood pressure.
Relaxation techiniques, including resperate, can be very helpful in lowering stress and high blood pressure caused by stress. Imagery helps many people as does meditation.
If none of these work, there are other natural ways to treat hypertension. There are many natural diuretics which can be very helpful in reducing systolic pressures especially, and these include celery, dandelion leaf, parsley, and others. Pomegranate is a natural “ACE inhibitor”, which is the kind of blood pressure medication you are taking now.
Good luck to you, and all the best!!
Same age-Alot of similiar problems-Try walking minimun of 30/min/day-or better swimming 30/60 min/day-try natural melotin for sleeping-join a gym-make yourself go 2-3x wk.
I take the smallest dose of norvasc avialable.05/day-
It helps-Birthday parties are a problem for sleeping .All the best.
At 67 my blood pressure was extra good -average-125/77-145/80. I was a picture of health no depression and sleep 8 – 9 hours every night. Then I went to the doctor for a physical. After a 3 hour wait I was flustrated and ready to go home when they called me back. my blood pressure was 160/80. Then the doctor came in and said those five words that scared the hell out of me. “You have high blood preasure”! the doc was with me less than 5 minutes,just long enough to write out a prescription and urge me to start on my medicine right away.My trip to the doctor actually gave me HBP!I couldn’t get over worrying about my blood preasure being to high and imagined I was going to have a heart attack. They eventually had to add more drugs. Side effects of insomia and depression kicked in. I now sleep about 5 hours a night with the help of Ambrien. I also take depression medicine and often have suicidal thoughts.I was able to quit 2 of the drugs the doctors had me on and keep my blood preasure at 133/77. The other HBP drugs have a rebound effect and when i cut back my blood pressue goes up.I will soon be 70 years old in July 2011!
Stay away from doctors unless you know there is something wrong and you will live longer. The pharmaceutical fishing expedition looking for meds they can put you on for life and all those side reactions are not something you need. Half the population has high cholesterol. Then their definition of normal is wrong. Half of the population cannot be abnormal. But meds for life are not to be denied by big pharma.
You should try Carditone is a cardiovascular natural health and ayurvedic wellness and medicine for brood pressure and also use Gymnema Sylvetra is a plant that is grown in the tropical forest of central and southern india and some parts of africa to lower blood pressure and control blood levels.
I am 38 years.. athletic energetic and slim.. with blood pressure 155/101. My mom has it too. I need to know where to get that Gymnema plant because I tried a lot of things that didnt work, including crushed garlic with olive oil and cayenne pepper
Where can we find this Carditon……Gymnema Sylvetra….I’ll been taking garlic, fish oil and olive leaf extract but blood pressure still not 120/80……..Old Girl from Brookhaven
Some very good advice given to you here. Stay away from the drugs. Monitor your BP yourself, as I do. I have a very good ReliOn Digital BP Monitor. Works beautifully and is reliable. Keep an on going log (my log goes back 5 years) of your BP/date/time of day/ and environment where taken. This will give you a very accurate idea of your BP on an on going basis, and will be something you can share with your physician, rather than their one time hasty BP reading with the “white coat”effect and other variables in the clinic. It saddens me that they are not even informed enough to follow their own AMA standard procedures for taking BP, i.e., at least two readings at least 5 minutes apart.Stay with a controlled/low carb diet with sufficient exercise at least 5 days a week and you will be a new person. You CAN do it!
I had a reading in the hospital of-192/119 now that is way high! I’m taking meds now, and reading 145/79…in that area…we all need to check regularly…you can’t always tell by how you feel..I went in the hospital for possible bronchitis, which I have…but had no idea, until I was checked, how high it was.
I wonder what your normal pressure is when you are not sick and not in the hospital.
I know for sure that if I do not have a deep sleep 8 hours per night and I am short for 5-6 hours during week my blood pressure is getting high besides I am experiancing other problems until I get back my hours. I am using special night time tea, valerian root and walking near sea before going to sleep. I do not use any drugs or sleep. All become perfect after I get my hours back. I am sure that you need the same.
I would not recommend avoiding your doctor, but it doesn’t hurt to do some of your own homework as well. I always do internet searches and compile pertinent information before I visit my doctor. At times, she is open to additional information and at other times she seems annoyed. I understand doctors are busy, but I am guessing that most doctors are not doing any extra educating of themselves either. In fact, much of what they know is influenced by big pharmaceutical companies, hence the often quick decision to medicate before anything else. I see no reason for a patient to be ignorant nor do doctors know everything….so please do not hesitate to question openly and do your own homework. Sometimes you even have to follow your own instincts and listen to your own body. Good luck!
Iam 58 years old and by October this year I will be 59 years old.I have diagnosed to have mild left ventricular hypertrophy since 1996 and hypertension 190/120,180/100,150/130, 140/110, 140/90, 130/105, 100/95.I have used Aldomet, Lisopril, Nifedipine, Losartan combined with aprinox at different times for years.Funny thing is the sudden response on hypertensive I take among those mentioned to lower diastolic readings to 40, 30, 20 from 120,110,100,90.Of late I have been diagnsed as having cardiac failure with hypertension in January following echogram reports.Iam on losartan 50mg in evening time and aprinox 5mg in the morning. My bloodpressure is now 110/80, for the past two days.I wonder why all these, I experience stress periods exxagerated with work environment which am trying my best to controlthough exercises,weight control, diet and adaptation.Kindly advice on proper management
I had one of those borderline readings too many times in a row. Perhaps from sitting in a doc’s office. Put me on meds. The longer I was on the more insomnia I experienced. BP goes up more. Then he gave me two prescriptions for “depression”, his verdict on why I wasn’t sleeping. I did NOT take anti-dep meds as my young son and husband said that the doc was nuts. Found a youtube video of a man saying my bp med gave him insomnia. Fired doc. Weaned myself off bp meds. Sleeping again. Who cares about the borderline bp. Docs don’t make money off of healthy people. Twenty years ago the borderline BP was normal. AMEN.
I “replied” already in another section, but maybe the wrong place, so here again: My home-measured systolic reading is always anywhere between the 140’s and the 120’s, but the diastolic is always in the mid-60’s. Heartrate always mid-40’s. Is it possible that, although I’m 67, since I run – and run hard (hills, track repeats, frequent races) – that the heart is so strong in pushing the blood out that the systolic’s registering high? Does anyone out there have this disparity (systolic highish vs diastolic low)? Has anyone done any reasearch on this?