My GP has been monitoring my BP for years. I’ve always been borderline. I’ve taken the monitor home and recorded reading morning / evening and also worn the 24 hour one a few times.

The last year or so it’s crept up. Not sky high but above the 135/85 he told me is where I need to be.

Pride / stubbornness in me wants to try and get it down by natural means. I’m 46, non smoker. I could lose a bit of weight, not a big drinker but could drink less, not a bad diet but could improve it. Work has it’s stressful moments but I try and manage it.

The one time I got my BP down I was following a British Cycling training plan. Lost a lot of weight, quite fit but the plan was very intensive and I just don’t have the time (or motivation) to do that much right now.

Hypertension is in my family. My Grandparents and parents have all been treated for it.

Is it time for one more go on the natural ways. Or is it time to try the medication. Ramipril has been mentioned.

I just googled the 135/85 BP you gave and I think, if I were you I’d either be putting the time/effort required in terms of diet and exercise required to get there (or below) or going down the drugs route.

It looks like one of those ‘you’ll regret not doing it later’ type decisions to not make the changes necessary.

I just don’t have the time (or motivation) to do that much right now.

Think carefully about that. Half an hour every day now could give you an extra 10 years of healthy life. Is that worth the time/motivation?

It’s not half an hour a day. It was a couple of hours riding at least 5 times a week.

I think I’m just trying to show how much effort it was to get it down. It wasn’t 30 mins a day. I do that now.

It was a couple of hours riding at least 5 times a week.

other exercise programs are available.

Those military fitness type classes in the park are probably far more intense than most 2 hour rides. Couple of those plus a 40 minute run at a reasonable pace 2 or 3 times a week?

The one time I got my BP down I was following a British Cycling training plan. Lost a lot of weight, quite fit but the plan was very intensive and I just don’t have the time (or motivation) to do that much right now.

If you don’t have time or motivation to look after your health, well….

Fair enough, sounds like a lot of effort. Probably not worth it.

LOL.

Let me try and explain. The BC training plan was very time needy. To explain I averaged over 100 road miles a week quite often 150+. Working full time and working away 50% of the time. It was an extreme programme and now I have a family I don’t have the time to commit to that sort of plan. It was the only thing that got my BP down.

For the avoidance of doubt I’m happy to put the effort in. I just don’t have that sort of time to put that much effort in. Maybe you guys do but I don’t. I’m getting out twice a week on the bike Averaging 60-100 road miles but it isn’t enough.

Just after real world experience really.

OP you want to watch the Netflix documentary called Game Changers, take most of it with a pinch of salt but pay attention to the New York firefighters part, they all suffered with high BP and cholesterol, some of them exercised every day and still there stats were getting worse with heart attack being the biggest killer of NY fire fighters. They all went plant based for a week and saw dramatic reductions in there stats. Worth a watch and consideration towards your diet.

Cycling isn’t the best in terms of time efficiency, try some form of HIIT, running, spin classes, world’s yer oyster nowadays tbh, more info and gym/exercise options than there’s ever been.

Sounds like you already know far more about this topic than most other STWers, but FWIW I found I had borderline high BP and immediately gave up caffine and alcahol, reduced salt, and started running 5k a couple of times a week. I lost lost 3 stone over a slightly longer timescale. A side efect of all of that was I slept better which I think helped too. That got me to a safe BP in a couple of days and down to ‘ideal’ once the weight came off and I got fitter.

So I have no doubt lifestyle is incredibly effective at reducing BP fast and I think you’d be crazy not to try to control it with lifestyle before you went down the drugs route.

The problem is it sounds like you’re already doing all the right things. (You say you can lose weight, but I doubt you have 3 stone to lose.) I still think it’s well worth a shot and the starting point is finding a less time consuming way to increase your fitness than cycling. I reckon I get the same cardio workout by running in half the time it takes to cycle. (At the expense of extra impact on my joints.)

WRT to diet I’ve found that lazy ways to eat better work better. (I have Huel for lunch. It’s miserable but it’s zero effort and that’s why I can stick with it.) I read the labels on everything I eat/buy.

Doubt I’ve told you anything new. Good luck!

OP you want to watch the Netflix documentary called Game Changers, take most of it with a pinch of salt

That’s the last thing he needs 🙂

If you don’t have time or motivation to look after your health, well….

Fair enough, sounds like a lot of effort. Probably not worth it.

Not sure smart alec trolling reflects well on you when someone’s just told you they have high blood pressure.

Rather than road miles follow a training plan on a turbo trainer? The quantity of miles is in some ways irrelevant as they have to provide a benefit. Interval training on a turbo is very time effective and can provide the right types of stimulus that road riding may not. Yes it might be boring but it might help you, takes up little time and allows you to do it from home which also saves time.

Have you tried minimising your salt intake?

It might not be enough, but I’d be very surprised if it didn’t help, based on what Graham MacGregor has found:

life scientific podcast Graham MacGregor

Op you pretty much describe my current situation though I have considerably higher BP. Burried my head in the sand for quite a while saying I’d make the changes but really only glanced the surface. Id say try to make the weight and diet changes, certainly the alcohol. Sounds like you are fit enough tbh if you are able to get 100 odd mile a week in. Will doing more get you into a healthy range? Sounds like you know the answer, I’ve just started Ramipril but would gladly go back and make the natural changes if I could.

Just for reference, also 46, also diet could be better, also a bit overweight and also have a hereditary hypertension in the family. Also borderline for years then boom I’m 180/112.

I’m wired up to the GP’s 24hr BP monitor myself. Couldn’t sleep well last night with it going off every hour.
Its been reading very high, so I hooked my right arm up to my own monitor to compare.

GP’s read 167/67 whilst my own read 128/81. I’m hoping mine is right!

It’s a tricky one and i’m in not too dissimilar a position to the OP with mine recently being tested at the Docs at 145/90

I bought a monitor in the Pharmacy afterwards so i could do a 7 day morning/night spreadsheet thing they provide.

140/88 was about my average. So i got the wife to drop the paperwork off yesterday and i’ll give them a ring to arrange a discussion.

Due to another issue, i’ve not had caffine (well, 2 mugs in 2 weeks) for a fortnight and no effects/withdrawl there for me. I have had 2 beers in the last month (about usual for me). I have dropped 12-14lb though which cannot hurt, but i think overall i’m fighting a losing battle with BP, but i’ve always been in the high range, used to be WAY higher than i am now.

I’d be interested in thoughts/info from people who were running high and are now lower due to MEds, any issues/side-effects etc and what they’re taking. I’m sure the OP would too so i don’t think i’m treading on his toes here 🙂

Cheers All. Sounds like one more concerted effort. Not sure about running knees are screwed after years of Rugby. The time consuming part of the plans was hours at Z2 but I’ve got lots of turbo sessions around an hour with good intervals. Cut the salt down, cut the caffeine down. Reduce the booze more.

Similar here. Every time I am at the docs, it gets checked, and is too high. I then do a week of measuring at home and it gets down to just under the 130/80 threshold that I can’t be over.

I have made some diet improvements already. I probably only ride twice a week, so that could be improved. Stress – yes lots of that. Hereditary stuff – yes that too. So what to do? Reduce meat? Daughter is going vegetarian, so I could try that with her.

good luck!

You could start the meds to help now while then starting you exercise and diet regime, you can always come off the medication with GP advice when it reduces.

Not sure about running knees are screwed after years of Rugby

I’m in no way recommending running – it was just an example of less time consuming ways to do cardio. HOWEVER, I also had a lifelong rubbish knees from Rugby and running 100pc fixed them. I can only assume the impact strengthens the connecting tissue and the extra muscle braces the knee.

Don’t try that at home kids, but that’s what happened for me. Clearly it’s not a long term solution because the running itself is gonna wreck my knees again, but even so…

Reduce meat? Daughter is going vegetarian, so I could try that with her.

wash your mouth out with soap.

😉

The one thing GP mentioned was BBC Dr Mosley Blood Sugar Diet. Worth a look I guess.

Not sure smart alec trolling reflects well on you when someone’s just told you they have high blood pressure

Trolling? Haha!
Merely pointing out that if you don’t make the effort, strangers on a forum may not be motivated to help either.

I’ve had my BP measured at least annually for the last 25 years due to my occupation.

Things I’ve learnt:

Stress is a big factor. I had to run to one medical after landing late and my BP on arriving at the medical centre was ridiculous (something like 174/110)!! I was still breathless!
It quickly calmed down but for the next three years remained elevated due to ‘white coat syndrome’. Its normally 110-120/75-80.

The measuring device makes a huge difference. I had some life insurance medical tests at a pharmacy. They used an off the shelf unit that gave three wildly different readings in 10 minutes. Some ridiculously low and one high. The doctor I saw the following week for my proper work medical used an old fashioned BP barometer and it was spot on. Make sure you’re getting accurate tests.

I would, however take steps to address any dietary concerns and maybe figure out a way of making your exercise time work more efficiently for you. I became my fittest when I had a 90 mile daily commute for 6 month; I’d drive 20 and cycle the remaining 25. I became super-lean. I didn’t save a penny (which was the rationale behind the cycling) as I ate so much more and had to invest in clothing and panniers 🙄

100% agree on measuring method, old style sphyg is preferable to electronic devices.

Wife for a every patient she sees at her opthalmic clinics BP, machine is their standard, she reckons she re-measures at least a third using old skool kit.

I’ve experienced this at occ health at work, was pretty high at medical, wife and gp did it properly, was 110/70.

I have a monitor and every time i use it it stresses me out, resulting in my bp measuring around 130 over 80. But at the same time my heart rate shows around 90 when I test, which is about 40 bpm higher then when I’m relaxing.

So now I wear my heart rate monitor prior to testing and won’t take a reading until I’m nice and relaxed, showing a pulse of around 60. In turn my blood pressure always drops to under 120 using this method.

Re those electric monitors. Only time I’ve had mine take the old fashioned way (by a cardiologist during a full heart scan) my pressure was far lower then it shows on the Go’s machine.

Whilst the old school method does seem to be the more accurate method my doc have me a monitor to use. I’d signed up to the FLO thing. The monitor matched the docs one. If I remember correctly it a life source model.

Interesting post this and I’m in a similar boat myself so shall follow it closely.

My dilemma at the moment is after having an elbow op earlier in the year where they said my B.P. was high (possible white coat syndrome at the time), they suggested I monitor it. I bought an expensive, supposedly clinically validated Omron monitor which connects to my phone so Ic an keep a diary. It’s stayed high on there, like 145/110. I go to the Dr, who measures it and they tell me it’s fine. They also say “every machine reads different”.

So don’t necessarily pay too much attention to anybody other than the Dr basically. I still want to get mine down though so keen to hear on most productive methods others have found.

Jeez, this is like a ‘me too’ thread. I’m off to the doctors this week having been burying my head in the sand for about a year about some dodgy BP reading that were high. Repeated last week; still sky high. Time to see doc about it I suppose.

Frustrating thing is I’m healthier than I’ve been for years, running regular 5ks, occasional 10ks, out on my bike quite a bit and dog walks every day. My diet, whilst not perfect is not bad, don’t smoke, don’t drink much, lots of scratch cooking and less processed food over the last few years than ever, and whilst I’m a little bigger than I’d like, I’ve probably only got 1-2 stone to lose. I take other peoples BP all of the time and you can often spot the really high BPs a mile off. I don’t look like them but currently I’m looking at readings of 180/120 plus. I’m somewhat pissed off about it really.

I had some life insurance medical tests at a pharmacy. They used an off the shelf unit that gave three wildly different readings in 10 minutes.

I plugged myself into my wife’s vital signs monitor in a hospital after she was coming round from an Op. Got three different readings in a matter of 5 mins! I think I remembered to plug her back in before she came to….

[url=https://flic.kr/p/EdfcnA]BP[/url] by Ben Freeman, on Flickr

[url=https://flic.kr/p/Edfcpj]BP[/url] by Ben Freeman, on Flickr

They can vary massively over the space of minutes according to my brother, who is a doctor specializing in cardiac stuff.

That’s not really a big variation footflaps it’s exactly why they don’t use just one reading and place people on monitors. There is also very little difference between manual and machine readings unless the machine is faulty.

Also if it’s hereditary in your family it’s quite likely you’re going the same route.

Buy improving your fitness n diet will always be good for you in long run , n like others said a HIT session once a week is more beneficial than 100-150 miles of leisurely cycling

I have high BP – I got to 200 over 105 at one point. Needless to say im on pills now (with no ill effects so don’t worry if you end up on them too).

I don’t think exercise will be the best way to bring yours down. It’s more about diet.

Cut right back on Caffeine, Salt (this includes bread) and Alcohol and try and shift a few pounds.

Cut right back on Caffeine, Salt (this includes bread) and Alcohol and try and shift a few pounds.

Golden days before they end
Whisper secrets to the wind

I could lose a bit of weight

I’ve always had a higher than ideal blood pressure. Even when I was spanking fit and lean. Never been on medication but that probably more to do with rarely darkening the medical profession’s door than anything else. But my wife was (quite rightly) nagging me to sort my life out and get advice.

In the last 3 months ……..put a time limit on staying in current stressful job and career of 18 months and my attitude to work has change massively as a result (light at the end of a tunnel); gone on the fast 800 diet and lost 20kg back to close to my old race weight; and gone vegan.

Can’t unravel which of the above has made the difference but my current blood pressure has dropped by 20 mmHg for both systolic and diastolic and is now as low as it has ever been in my adult life. Still not amazing but firmly in the healthy camp again. After seeing all the hassle my FiL has been through with his medication for high blood pressure in the last 20 years if you can find the motivation to give another approach a go I would recommend it.

Stop eating cheese.