Blood Pressure Management: What Works For You?

[TheWolfEmperor]

I'm now currently on medication for high blood pressure. I'm supposed to check my BP frequently and present the results to my doctor.

Today's reading was 127/92. I'm trying to monitor my diet but I really want to make that second number go down. I guess 120/80 is the new standard.

If you have high BP what's your coping mechanism? How do you keep it down?

[EricKei]

I've had HBP for at least 7 years now (well, diagnosed HBP), and mine's down to about your current level with meds ("the high side of average" -- I started closer to 155/98), having gradually come down over the years.

I stick to my meds and try not to go from sitting to standing too quickly. At least in my case, that frequently causes enough of a BP imbalance to make me nearly faint, or at least have an urgent need to collapse onto the nearest handy bed/bench/passerby o_O At my weight, that's not a good thing for anyone involved.

More usefully -- adjust your diet a bit, which you mentioned, and which I'm sure your doc has mandated. Salt is in fsking EVERYTHING, but there are things you can do. Reducing fast food and pre-packaged food intake is a biggie. Canned and boxed premade meals are really bad about this. I use low-salt/no-salt broths when I need them.

I have found that paprika is an excellent substitute for salt in MOST recipes -- i.e., when what you want is flavor and savory, rather than a chemical reaction (so, baked goods: not so much. Soup, meats, etc - use it). It has the same "flavor enhancement" effect as salt or MSG, with a very small amount of heat (American paprika, anyway -- the Hungarian stuff is more hardcore) and a slightly smoky flavor. If you use spice blends -- many of which are essentially 90% salt, 8% flavor, and 2% "You're better off not knowing," look for salt-free blends. I like Tony Chacherie's non-salt blend (it's a paprika-based Cajun-style blend).

[csquared]

Salt in your diet is one of those interesting things. You got to have it, but you can't have too much.

I went on vacation a couple of weeks ago. When I came home, I had gained 10lbs, my blood pressure was up and my ankles were swollen. I had eaten a lot of good sea food. All of it smothered in salt. In three days after getting home, I dropped 5lbs and my ankles and blood pressure where back to normal. It was all water gain from the salt.

Around the house, we use a lot of black pepper and other spices. All spice blends are salt free. Check out Penzy;s. Your diet does not have to be bland. Almost all vegetables are fresh. I drink very few sodas (sparkling water and water enhancers that are salt and calorie free). All the lunch meats are low sodium chicken, turkey, ham and roast beef. No salamis, pepperoni or other really tasty sausages. It also limits eating out. I try to be really strick at home, so I can afford the extra salt when I do eat out.

Last but not least, exercise. Try to get yourself up to 30 minutes of cardio every day.

[TheSHAD0W]

Salt is overly blamed for affecting your blood pressure. If you have urinary problems, either not excreting excess salt or you're not drinking enough water to flush your system, then it can be a problem; otherwise, drinking more water (not beverages, actual *water*) will naturally reduce your salt to a reasonable level.

[greek_jester]

TheSHADOW is correct, you need a certain amount of salt in your diet to help regulate you heart and maintain brain, cell and muscle function. Having too little can be as bad as having too much, so don't cut it out completely; upping your fluid intake would be better.

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/146677.php

One thing my mum used to do to help lower her blood pressure (before her kidneys crapped out and she had to go on dialysis with a fluid restriction) was drink a tall glass of hibiscus tea every day, and it did have an effect, to the point her doctor asked for the recipe for other patients. It needs to be proper tea, not those rubbish pre-made teabags full of leaves and twigs. Start with a small glass to see how you take to it, then work up if necessary; overdoing it can take you too far in the other direction, as I found out to my cost when I overdid it one summer! Too refreshing and delicious to stick to one glass...

If you can get some dried hibiscus flower heads (check health food shops, hippy markets, or the internet), boil a few handfuls up in a saucepan until it is a lovely dark red colour. Mix in sugar or sweetener or honey to taste. Allow it to cool, then strain it into an empty 2 litre bottle (an old soft drink bottle works). Keep it in the fridge and have a glass a day.

Another thing is try to find a half hour each day where you can just do something nice and soothing, such as take a slow amble beside a river, walk on a beach, or just find a quiet spot in a park and settle down to read. Just somewhere relaxing where you're not constantly being bombarded with things to make you react. In one previous job it was eating my lunch under an old tree in a 600 year old graveyard; no-one had been buried there in a century, and walking through those gates was like stepping into another world, since there were trees and grass everywhere, birds, squirrels and the odd rabbit wandering around, and the high walls blocked the worst of the road noise. You'd barely know it was just off of a busy high-street, and I'd go back to my job with my shoulders a good inch lower and my spine more relaxed.

[Tanasi]

I take 25mg of Atenolol once a day. I agree with Jester getting your mind in a meditative/soothing state also works for me. I try to spend a few hours each day working in the garden/green house and our critters. Just wading amoungst my cattle makes a difference.
That hot-biscuits tea sounds interesting I'll have to try it.

[LadyofArc]

One thing my mum used to do to help lower her blood pressure (before her kidneys crapped out and she had to go on dialysis with a fluid restriction) was drink a tall glass of hibiscus tea every day, and it did have an effect, to the point her doctor asked for the recipe for other patients. It needs to be proper tea, not those rubbish pre-made teabags full of leaves and twigs. Start with a small glass to see how you take to it, then work up if necessary; overdoing it can take you too far in the other direction, as I found out to my cost when I overdid it one summer! Too refreshing and delicious to stick to one glass...

The usual rule of "Talk to your doctor FIRST" about this though applies here.
Just a note that speaking of teas, avoid any teas with licorice.

[EricKei]

Salt in your diet is one of those interesting things. You got to have it, but you can't have too much.

Indeed ^_^ Which is why I said "adjust" rather than "eliminate." I keep in mind how much salt is in foods, so I don't add salt where I can avoid it, and add as little as possible where I can't. I know I'm getting plenty from everyday food. Heck, I don't even own a salt shaker anymore, and the only overt use for salt in my house is in tenderizing meats.



My Diabetes doc told me the same about sugar -- Reduce significantly (in my case), but do not eliminate; in her (approx.) words, it's about regulating one's intake (which, means minimizing, too, for many), rather than eliminating.

[TheWolfEmperor]

I've been watching salt content pretty religiously. Fortunately mustard seems to be low in sodium, which means I can make that my go to in all my condiment needs.

Exercise is always tricky. I'm on my feet all day at work and I walk everywhere. But on my days off I take an extra long walk around town which includes a lot of uphill walking.

I'm also drinking more water. I'll see in about a week if the doctor is happy with the results.

[EricKei]

Yes. Drink lots and lots of water, especially with those meds in your system.

[Nunavut Pants]

If you can get some dried hibiscus flower heads (check health food shops, hippy markets, or the internet), boil a few handfuls up in a saucepan until it is a lovely dark red colour.

I love hibiscus tea! I've had it in various Latin-American restaurants (most recently, on vacation in Ecuador!!) and it's always yummy. It's called Jamaica (ha-MAY-ca). Surprisingly, the country doesn't get its name from this...

If you have a Latin bodega nearby, you may be able to get the flowers there as well.

[Pixelated]

I've been watching salt content pretty religiously. Fortunately mustard seems to be low in sodium, which means I can make that my go to in all my condiment needs.

I used to salt the hell out of everything ... and when I was a youngster (way back when ...) you could buy a small box of pretzel sticks for about five or ten cents. I would eat the pretzel sticks ... and then eat up all the salt that had fallen off them into the box. Why my BP isn't through the roof I do not know, but I am very lucky -- it's fine. I plan to keep it that way, so have moderated my salt intake considerably.

I live on the 14th floor of an apartment building and am trying to remember to take the stairs up 3 or 4 floors (if ever I make it all 14 floors, I will take out a full-page ad in the local newspaper ...) if I'm not carrying anything other than my purse. Not doing too well at it; I must try to increase my stair-stepping.

[jedimaster91]

One of the nurse practitioners I work with said something recently really struck me: don't get too obsessive about checking your BP. It's supposed to vary a bit based on the time of day and what you're doing. So it will be higher after you've walked in from work after having been in rush hour traffic for an hour versus after binging the latest season of your show on Netflix. Too many readings can actually be too confusing and detrimental to getting a good average. She recommended taking your BP a few times a week and see how it's trending. Of course, if your doctor told you differently, do what they said.