Tips to lower blood pressure?

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IrvineHimself

IrvineHimself

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Relationship to Diabetes
Type 2
I have been reviewing my test results on My Diabetes,

As you can see, except for stubbornly high blood pressure, things look pretty good.
TestResultsHistory.png

The data in the following chart is incomplete, but it illustrate how moderately high BP has been an ongoing problem for many years.

BP-History.png

Does anyone have any advice and/or tips for lowering blood pressure?
Irvine
 
It's not like yr BP is way high, but reducing sodium intake is a standard recommendation, plus exercise. (Tho I guess you would have seen these.) But I think many people need meds to get down to ideal levels.

That 2.0 mmol/l total cholesterol figure is very low! Do you know the components?
 
Blood pressure is important, however, I would also note that your "good" range is up to 130/80. Your BP is 133/83. I assume that reading was in a clinical setting?

I'm not suggesting you have White Coat Syndrome, but it is generally accepted that for most folks their BP will be up a notch when having it read in the surgery.

If your 133/83 was the average output of a 24-hr holster monitor download, in your shoes, I'd be interested to know where my highest and lowest points lay and when.
If you already take an meds for your BP, it could be worthwhile looking at when you take them. I haven't done a lot of reading into this, but I have seen it suggested that taking BP meds at night could have some additional benefits.

www.bhf.org.uk

Does the time you take your medicine matter?

Could changing the time of day you take blood pressure medicine improve their effectiveness? Professor Tom MacDonald tells us how he intends to find out.
www.bhf.org.uk www.bhf.org.uk

I'm not suggesting this would necessarily be your answer, but with the level of changes you need to get "in range", perhaps worth looking at it in a little detail (if you take meds).
 
You said you lowered your Hba1c from 135 to 43 in the last four months?
You lost 14kg.
That's quite an excessive change, and must have took a major intervention to achieve that.


It will take your body a while to settle down from that, and your BP isn't excessively high.
I can meditate mine back into the120/80 box, and you aren't that far above that.

It's worth keeping an eye on your cholesterol, it seems quite low, and any changes to your eyes, such a rapid decrease in hba1c can affect them.
 
Thanks for all your comments. Rather than replying to specific points, I will try to cover all the issues that have been raised:

Because the data set set gathered by My Diabetes is incomplete it is not readily apparent, but virtually every time I have seen a Doctor over the last twenty odd years, (both here and in France,) they have commented on my blood pressure being a bit on the high side. My diastolic pressure seems to be particularly problematic, though around the time of my TIA, my systolic pressure also surged:

With regard to cholesterol:
Total Cholesterol
Current result: 2.0 mmol/L on 11/08/2022
Previous result: 3.7 mmol/L on 18/06/2022

HDL Cholesterol
Current result: 1.00 mmol/L on 11/08/2022

LDL Cholesterol
Current result: 0.7 mmol/L on 11/08/2022

Triglycerides
Current result: 0.6 mmol/L on 11/08/2022
Click to expand...

The last couple of days, even before reviewing my test results, I have been thinking about ways to reduce my sodium and fat intake. In addition, I have also been thinking about trying to get my weight down to about 75kg and my waist [currently 39 inches, down from 44] under 36 inches, (In my thirties I was 10 or 11 stone with a waist of 30 inches) So, I definitely think a little light swimming is in order.

Thanks again for your analysis and insights. Needless to say, this is all new to me.
Irvine
 
"...I definitely think a little light swimming is in order."

It works for me. 70 kilos, 30 inch waist. All down to lots and lots of swimming.
 
IrvineHimself said:
Thanks for all your comments. Rather than replying to specific points, I will try to cover all the issues that have been raised:

Because the data set set gathered by My Diabetes is incomplete it is not readily apparent, but virtually every time I have seen a Doctor over the last twenty odd years, (both here and in France,) they have commented on my blood pressure being a bit on the high side. My diastolic pressure seems to be particularly problematic, though around the time of my TIA, my systolic pressure also surged:

With regard to cholesterol:


The last couple of days, even before reviewing my test results, I have been thinking about ways to reduce my sodium and fat intake. In addition, I have also been thinking about trying to get my weight down to about 75kg and my waist [currently 39 inches, down from 44] under 36 inches, (In my thirties I was 10 or 11 stone with a waist of 30 inches) So, I definitely think a little light swimming is in order.

Thanks again for your analysis and insights. Needless to say, this is all new to me.
Irvine
Click to expand...
On the cholesterol: Looking back, that breakdown is just about the same as my lowest, back in early 2020. HDL=1.1, LDL=0.7, trigs=0.6. At the time I was running a calorie deficit which would have had an impact. I'd guess you're probably doing the same at the moment, which would mean that your weight should continue to decrease and likely enough your BP should improve.

Calorie restriction is much more important for weight loss than exercise, usually. (Make sure you're getting plenty of protein though - reducing weight fast can mean you lose a lot of muscle mass along with it; I made that mistake.)

But exercise is critical for weight loss *maintenance*.
 
Chris Hobson said:
It works for me. 70 kilos, 30 inch waist. All down to lots and lots of swimming.
Click to expand...
Out of curiosity, what was your wait/waist when you first started the fitness regime?

Eddy Edson said:
.... reducing weight fast can mean you lose a lot of muscle mass ....
Click to expand...
I have never had a lot of muscle mass. In my teens and early twenties, there were more than a few girls who would humiliate me at arm-wrestling. (Most of them were extremely jealous of my hair which, despite the metal shavings and motor-bike grease, was long and extremely thick with a natural, silky smoothness.... I used to get hate mail about it 😉)
 
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IrvineHimself said:
Out of curiosity, what was your wait/waist when you first started the fitness regime?


I have never had a lot of muscle mass. In my teens and early twenties, there were more than a few girls who would humiliate me at arm-wrestling. (Most of them were extremely jealous of my hair which, despite the metal shavings and motor-bike grease, was long and extremely thick with a natural, silky smoothness.... I used to get hate mail about it 😉)
Click to expand...

How's the hair now? I recent years my full head of hair has thinned and greyed. I especially don't like it as it is Fifty Shades of Grey, in fact a dirty grey! , ☹️

I lost muscle mass from infection and poor food when I had my amputation. Amusingly the hospital have me a leaflet about good diet and recovery - I don't think they gave s copy to their contractors! ☹️
 
MikeyBikey said:
How's the hair now?
Click to expand...
While nowhere near as thick as in my early twenties, when I let it out of my habitual ponytail, it's a surprisingly luxurious silver. I tend to think of it as being a bit thin, but this is mainly because I can remember how thick it used to be. (At the time I couldn't get a normal brush/comb through it and had to use wig brushes and combs.)

Having said that, in comparison to other people, (young women,) it's still got fairly good body.

MikeyBikey said:
I don't think they gave s copy to their contractors!
Click to expand...
I recently read this article in the Guardian about contractors providing sub-standard food.
 
IrvineHimself said:
I have never had a lot of muscle mass. In my teens and early twenties, there were more than a few girls who would humiliate me at arm-wrestling. (Most of them were extremely jealous of my hair which, despite the metal shavings and motor-bike grease, was long and extremely thick with a natural, silky smoothness.... I used to get hate mail about it 😉)
Click to expand...
Once again, similar to me, except that in my case it was (and still is) beautiful hands, finely-turned calves and a perfect bite, or so I'm told.

Anyway, we scrawny folk can least afford to lose muscle mass.
 
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