High Blood Pressure - reducing using diet and exercise

growstuff I'm not convinced it is psychological because like cornergran having my BP taken has never worried me.

My dear old Mum used to sprinkle salt on her food , with gay abandon. She lived till 93 , with LOW BP, and slight age-related memory loss. Now , you tell me !!!

Can anyone recommend an good (free) app that I can put on my phone to help with relaxation.

I need to have a look on YouTube as there must be something on there. I heard about Radio 3 Unwind so I might give that a go.

Once I am stressed out I find it really hard to calm down.

growstuff

I haven't added salt when cooking for years. I don't even notice it now, but my mother always used to complain about my food and pour loads of salt on everything. I think it helps too.

Just an aside. I rarely have salt and ok blood pressure. In hospital just before Christmas my blood pressure was far too low! They told me off for not having enough salt!

Cressida

growstuff I'm not convinced it is psychological because like cornergran having my BP taken has never worried me.

So what else causes it if not anxiety?

PinkCosmos using a home BP monitor will show you what your normal BP is. If it shows a high result then you will probably need medication but you will know you genuinely need it and it's not white coat syndrome.

It's no good me telling you not to worry because that's not helpful if you're an anxious person. I do wonder if the amount of alcohol you have been drinking has affected you.

Just for a bit more info. I am 67 and still working full time. I work in admin so it isn't too stressful. I should have retired last year but feel like I can't afford to.

There always seems to be stuff (outside of work) that I need to do.

As well as the WSC, I am sure this is contributing to my high BP

They class my husband’s high BP as Resistant Hypertension. It has been as high as 250/ 110 on many occasions. The nurses all panic when they test him at the surgery and make him wait until the GP looks at him. He just says “oh that’s Mr X, quite normal for him.”

The other day in hospital they said his BP was rather low and we couldn’t stop laughing, never heard that before. They say he must drink more.

I don’t believe BP has much to do with stress or anxiety because he is so laid back and it’s very high. Mine is always low but I am more of a worrier than him.

ayse

growstuff

I haven't added salt when cooking for years. I don't even notice it now, but my mother always used to complain about my food and pour loads of salt on everything. I think it helps too.

Just an aside. I rarely have salt and ok blood pressure. In hospital just before Christmas my blood pressure was far too low! They told me off for not having enough salt!

When I was in my 30s, I regularly had high blood pressure. I definitely had WCS and I was in denial about the high BP. Then I was diagnosed with T2 diabetes in my mid 30s, despite not being overweight, so the cause was a mystery. I read a lot about diabetes and blood pressure and discovered that both are risk factors for heart problems. I also found out about salt, stress and lots more besides. I was reluctant to take medication, so I was determined to do all I could to change my lifestyle. I stopped adding salt to my cooking, started being very careful with carbs and cut down how much alcohol I drank. It wasn't a fad diet and 40 years later I still eat in the same way - and enjoy food. I did take a low dose of blood pressure medication until a couple of years ago (mainly because it's recommended after a heart attack), but now I don't take anything for BP and it's always in the 110-120/70-80 range.

Exercise is another matter! I'm lazy and don't enjoy sport. I have painful feet and hip, so can't walk very far. Nevertheless, I took up swimming. I still don't do enough exercise and I expect my BP would reduce if I did, but I'm not too worried about that.

Primrose53

They class my husband’s high BP as Resistant Hypertension. It has been as high as 250/ 110 on many occasions. The nurses all panic when they test him at the surgery and make him wait until the GP looks at him. He just says “oh that’s Mr X, quite normal for him.”

The other day in hospital they said his BP was rather low and we couldn’t stop laughing, never heard that before. They say he must drink more.

I don’t believe BP has much to do with stress or anxiety because he is so laid back and it’s very high. Mine is always low but I am more of a worrier than him.

Primrose53 It sounds as though your DH has some kind of genetic high BP, but I disagree with you generally about the relationship between stress/anxiety and high BP. Admittedly, it's anecdotal, but I know from my own experience about constant chronic stress, which releases "fight or flight" hormones. Stress (mental and physical) also raises blood sugar for the same reason - to defend ourselves against dangerous predators (and we haven't evolved much since).

Cressida - yes, I am sure the alcohol has not helped. This has spurred me on to cut it out completely. Ironically, the wine helped me to relax at the end of the day

I am not generally anxious about day to day things. I don't think I am an hypochondriac. However, I do worry more about my health as I am getting older. I think it is because a lot of people around me have age related illnesses and I am thinking that it is inevitable that I am going to suffer from something at some point. Hope that makes sense. I have been very lucky so far to have had good health.

PinkCosmos I totally understand your anxiety. I have been anxious all my life due to life events. I am really scared of having my BP checked. No amount of advice to stay calm or breathe makes the slightest difference.

A small crumb of comfort maybe. When I was first put on meds, my BP was 208//110. This was at a pharmacy. The nurse was aghast and ushered me off to my GP. GP took it. It was the same. She told me to take a week off work and relax. Relax?! with that BP. A week later

Sorry. A week later GP took it again. It was the same. I told her I was terrified of having a heart attack or stroke. She said 'You might but it won't be because of your BP.' She put me on a low dose of meds.

Kate1949 During one of my cardiac rehab sessions, we were shown how cortisol affects the body. One off incidents of stress don't do much harm and, in fact, are necessary to keep us alert. However, constant stress means constant cortisol, which has a devastating effect on the body.

Medication can reduce the hormone response and/or mitigate damage already caused by damage to blood vessels and the heart.

I don’t how many times I’ve told posters about the stress hormones.
I’ve explained how to get rid of it and the damage it can do.
40 years ago I was advised by a friend to have massage.
Unused cortisol can do serious damage to your body, this is why massage works.
Only a few weeks ago I brought someone out of a panic attack with techniques I’ve been shown ( they are very simple) mainly breathing and stroking.
There is a technique called tapping. But with all self help techniques you have to put the effort in.

www.physio.co.uk/treatments/massage/physiological-effects-of-massage/hormonal-effects/decreased-cortisol.php#:~:text=Deep%20strokes%20are%20often%20used,stress%20and%20tension%20decreasing%20pain.

petra Discovering the damage cortisol does has been a game-changer for me. I've only had massage once and I'm afraid to say it left me with a stiff neck, but maybe I was unlucky. As a result of finding out about cortisol, I dabbled with Mindfulness, but the whole concept wasn't for me. I'm a cynic at heart and found the whole thing a bit "happy clappy". Nevertheless, I cherry picked the bits which worked for me, including breathing and I went to yoga classes regularly (before lockdown). Relaxation and rethinking how to deal with life's challenges really has worked for me. Not only am I more content (despite a range of health, financial and other problems) but I'm physically in much better shape, according to all the tests I regularly have.

PS. I think I'll train my partner in deep stroking - it sounds good!

Thanks Kate1949 You sound just like me. I am also terrified of having a heart attack or stroke before I can get this sorted out. As far as I am aware, I don't have any heart problems.

The nurse took my pulse after the BP and my pulse was normal. I don't exactly know what this means.

I am going back to see the nurse on Thursday and have a 24 hour BP monitor booked for the 12th January. I don't know whether to just ask if I can see the GP and possibly go on meds, rather than wait.

I will definitely be trying some of the self help methods.

I have bought some Good Earth hibiscus, rose and sweet berry tea. It was all they had at Asda and I didn't have time to shop around today. It only has 21% hibiscus though.

If your pulse was normal, it probably means that you weren't as anxious as you might have thought because anxiety usually causes pulse to increase. However, it's more complicated than that because high blood pressure can cause low pulse because furred up arteries mean there's not so much blood flowing through them.

You seem quite impatient, but it's best to wait for the results of the 24 hour monitoring. Your doctor will have a more accurate view of what's going on. You never know - your results might surprise you and be lower than you feared. In any case, at least your condition has been discovered and treatment is being started - it's better than being taken by surprise because you didn't even know you had high blood pressure. You sound as though you're doing the right things.

Pure hibiscus teabags... start with one a day .. I have it after my main meal... it has a slight laxative affect so build up slowly if you want to..

www.ethicalsuperstore.com/products/essential-trading/essential-trading-hibiscus-tea---20-bags/?gad_source=1&gclid=CjwKCAiAneK8BhAVEiwAoy2HYc9wJo0UY1nrs30nN0lnMd3xyVT0YiFobsIgw35b_OVEYTw_Aa3mNRoC88oQAvD_BwE

I gave up all normal tea and coffee and drink only hibiscus, pure peppermint and pure turmeric teas.. you might have to persevere with the turmeric and also check with your pharmacy for contra-indictations with any medicines you take.. Turmeric is powerful stuff.
My blood pressure and cholestrol have both reduced in the past 3 months.

growstuff
I’m certainly not a happy clappy far from it. But when my masseuse educated me in the science of the fight or flight hormone it made sense.
I explain to people think of cortisol as a fuel. It there to be burnt and if you don’t burn it off it’s going to do damage.
If only doctors explained some of this evidence.

Turmeric is very potent and I do know you must not take it if you are on Tamoxifen (usually after breast cancer).

I hope the tea helps you PinkCosmos. I have been in a terrible state over my BP. I have never, ever had BP as low as it has been lately, today's being the lowest I can remember, even with my medication.

petra I wasn't suggesting you're "happy clappy". It was the whole mindfulness package which I found a bit too much. It was recommended to me by a close friend. I bought a couple of books, looked at countless websites and even signed up for a face-to-face class. I think some of the principles of mindfulness are very sound and they have certainly changed my thinking. I also found some of the relaxation techniques useful. Nevertheless, there was something about the belief that mindfulness works which jarred (at least for me). The class I went to seemed almost cult-like and I didn't feel I fitted in. I agree with you about the science about cortisol, which is why I've mentioned it too.

Primrose53

Turmeric is very potent and I do know you must not take it if you are on Tamoxifen (usually after breast cancer).

I think it's the same for all aromatase inhibitors, which decrease the amount of estrogen produced by the body. Large doses of turmeric increase estrogen. Women with estrogen positive breast cancers need to lower their estrogen levels, so turmeric counteracts that. I take Exemestane and I know turmeric is on the list of supplements I should avoid.