High blood pressure?

Toldo

Greetings,

Here's my predicament. You know those machines at Wal-mart that measure your blood pressure? Well, I played around with one the other day, and it claimed my blood pressure was at 151 over... something. While the machine may just have been broken, I distinctly remember trying one nearly two years ago, which yielded a similar result. Even as I think about it, I remember my doctor asking me if I was relaxing my arm when he measured my blood pressure for a pre-college physical, as the result apparently surprised him.

I am twenty years old, I weigh about 165 lbs, I work out two or three times a week, and I try to be mindful of what I eat (then again, I am a college student, so hey). My dad, however, has had a history of high blood pressure, so could I have inherited it from him?

What are some of the things I should be looking out for? Can you "tell" if you have a high blood pressure? Am I just going crazy?

Casually Hardcore

You pressure rating can vary greatly throughout the day, depending on your activities. I would take multiple readings for the next few days, if the problem persist I would most defiantly talk with a doctor.

Thanatos

ethugs4life wrote: »

You pressure rating can vary greatly throughout the day, depending on your activities. I would take multiple readings for the next few days, if the problem persist I would most defiantly talk with a doctor.

This.

And if the doctor didn't say "hey, you have high blood pressure," I really wouldn't worry about it.

Dalboz

Yeah, I'd follow what your doctor says. If your doctor isn't concerned enough to do anything, then I don't think you need to do anything else. Maybe watch the sodium intake, but that's it.

I've had borderline high blood pressure for years, but it's in a state where my doctor has said that he doesn't want to do anything and risk screwing other stuff up and would rather just watch it to if it changes. It can be hereditary. My grandfather suffers from high blood pressure, and my father was recently put on blood pressure medication after the dentist kicked him out and told him to go to the doctor right away (she takes blood pressure reading at the beginning of the appointment; his was so high that they were concerned if they started working on him he would have a heart attack). After my car accident last year, when I got a early check to if there was any damage, my blood pressure was so high that they though I might have a heart attack (I think it was 175/100; I don't remember what the systolic pressure was, but I remember the diastolic was in triple digits). But anyway, this is how I know and the actual instructions that were given to me regarding my own blood pressure.

Hahnsoo1

For the vast majority of folks with hypertension, there are no physical signs and symptoms. Some people occasionally have hypertension-related headaches, dizziness, palpitations, etc, but most people do not. I wouldn't rely on any blood pressure reading taken while you are under physical stress, which raises your measured blood pressure.

The systolic number (first number) isn't usually as worrying as a high diastolic number. I wouldn't trust a reading from a blood pressure meter at a drug store. Get a professional (nurse, preferably, since they typically have more experience at doing it than a doctor) to take it, and be mindful of "white coat hypertension" (elevated blood pressure from just the stress of seeing a doctor).

Hypertension can be inherited. If your dad has hypertension, you might have it as well. Working out twice to three times a week is way ahead of most people who have hypertension, though you should be mindful that most people who do a lot of cardio should have a LOWER blood pressure at rest. If you want to take some preventative measures, make sure you cut out sodium from your diet (and not just "cut the french fries"... read labels, as nearly everything mass produced nowadays has added salt, including so-called "low sodium" foods), and focus more on a cardio workout than bulking up or lifting weights.

saggio

All of what has been posted before is good advice. I would just add one more thing: be sure when you get your blood pressure taken (preferably by a professional) that you are using an arm band that is appropriate for the size of your arm. If you have big arms, the standard arm band may cause your blood pressure to be artificially elevated, giving you a false reading.

I had a similar scare to you just a little while ago, but I have big arms and when I got a nurse to do a proper reading with the proper size arm bands it turned out everything was fine, I was just getting an artificially high reading.

FyreWulff

Yeah, I'd have a pro do it. When I was in the hospital last time, for some reason they always had to double check it by checking my blood pressure at my ankles.

SatanIsMyMotor

I'm going through something similar now. I went to give blood and my BP was 155/80 which is high. I've since seen a doctor and am currently monitoring myself at least once a day. I've since found out that my BP is all over the place - high one day, low the next.
I'll be going in for a bunch of tests - renal ultrasound, blood work, and an EKG.

Kistra

I agree you should get a professional to check you BP. As other people have said you can't tell if you have high blood pressure.

And tell whoever takes the measurement that you have had high measurements before. Doctors will usually ignore a single reading in a young person b/c hypertension is rare in young people. You want to be sure they are using the right size arm band, and they should let you sit for a few minutes and your arm should be completely supported by someone else when the measurement is taken.

Are you female? Hormonal birth control can cause elevated blood pressure in some people. I was having issues with high blood pressure and going off of hormonal birth control fixed them.

dispatch.o

Well, the top number can be healthy in a huge range (systolic) it increases a good deal with any kind of activity for most people and just taking a short walk around a drug store will see a marked rise. When you take your blood pressure you should be resting for a short period and your arm should be relaxed.

The bottom number (diastolic) is the number to really keep an eye on, it's the number that represents the pressure in the arteries when your heart is at rest, anything above 84 or so is worth looking into.

That all being said, hypertension is a murderous asshole and your weight and age while factors don't really mean you should ignore it. I would trim your diet way down, for example I know that if I drink green tea my blood pressure goes up, a lot. For a brief period it was running 220/115 (which is basically stroke out territory). Cut way way back on caffeine and see where you're at.

Believe it or not most home blood pressure testing equipment works just fine if you do it right, just put a monitor next to your couch and after watching a movie, sit up with your feet flat on the floor and give it a whirl.

Also, I know some doctors will actually not treat it if someone is young, I have no idea why. My first primary care was like that, she was kind of a bitch anyway and when I switched jobs and went to someone else (recommended by some doctors I work with) he never out and came out she was insane and full of shit, but heavily implied it.

JohnnyCache

if you're 165 it's probably not an issue but my arms are big enough that I will get an astronomical reading from some of those machines, it's just a thought.

Erandus

I have high blood pressure, and I strongly urge you to go see a doctor as well.

When's the last time that you can remember having a head rush? That thing where you stand up really fast from sitting or laying down, and you get all dizzy. If that never happens to you, that's a sign that your blood pressure may be high.

Your doctor will tell you a lot of things to work on, if your blood pressure really is an issue. Lowering your sodium intake and cutting your alcohol consumption will be high on that list.