Blood Pressure...

RiaX said:
White coat hypertension. When you do a reading and its high like that. Tell them to wait and take 6 deep breaths and retest. So inhale to your maximum capacity through your nose then hold a few seconds then blow out through your mouth slowly with a little stream like you whistling. Repeat 6 times. Then retest.

Its a type of what we call a vasovagal maneuver this will calm the body down and allow the device to measure your correct pressure. Doctors use a different type where they have the patient blow into a closed fist for high heart rates in anxiety and panic attacks (also the breathing in a paper bag)
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I get this very badly had the following readings for my BP 8 weeks ago after taking blood because of it:

1748591664695.png

and here with non impacted results

1748591703620.png
 
Been getting somewhat erratic readings from various BP monitors, so have been trying different cuff fastening etc to see if I can get some consistency.
Have been taking two readings - right arm with the Omron and left arm with the Garmin to compare.

Today - Garmin:
1748592396659.png

Omron:
123/78 pulse 81
 
Sinbad said:
Been getting somewhat erratic readings from various BP monitors, so have been trying different cuff fastening etc to see if I can get some consistency.
Have been taking two readings - right arm with the Omron and left arm with the Garmin to compare.

Today - Garmin:
View attachment 1824164

Omron:
123/78 pulse 81
Click to expand...

Different arms will always give you different readings. Best to stick with just one. Though, a major difference in readings could indicate a serious issue, too.
 
The Voice said:
Different arms will always give you different readings. Best to stick with just one. Though, a major difference in readings could indicate a serious issue, too.
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As long as they're close, I'm happy that it's not something to do with cuff fitment or my right bicep being bigger than my left or twitching more or something.

I've been getting really crazy variations in readings:
1748599072181.png

So just trying to get a consistent picture.
 
make your that the line where the air pumps in is on top and the air line is in line with your brachial artery. The cuff must be in the middle of your upper arm
 
Sinbad said:
As long as they're close, I'm happy that it's not something to do with cuff fitment or my right bicep being bigger than my left or twitching more or something.

I've been getting really crazy variations in readings:
View attachment 1824195

So just trying to get a consistent picture.
Click to expand...
Why is your right bicep bigger :p
 
RiaX said:
make your that the line where the air pumps in is on top and the air line is in line with your brachial artery. The cuff must be in the middle of your upper arm
Click to expand...
I know that :)

Thanks though.
 
a bit of an interesting story i have mentioned before elsewhere on the forum.
a cardiac surgery i underwent some time back - i had a request - ipod and music in my ears while undergoing the procedure.
anaesthetist gave it approval, but ipod and earphones would have to be disinfected prior to entering the theatre complex.
i loaded a 6hr playlist.
next day i'm in the induction room ready to be taken into theatre, anaesthetist points to ipod " we are ready for take-off", and i'm wheeled in and put on the table. a short conversation takes place - anaesthetist: "ready when you are".
i pop the earphones in, hit play, adjust volume (pretty high) and press the "lock" button on the ipod.
i lay back and watch the ceiling and everything around it rapidly vanish as the drugs kick in (very very quickly).

hours later i wake up, still heavily drugged - dazed and confused.
after a while i notice the nurses are having a good laugh, surgeon and anaesthetist grinning - but it's me that is the source of entertainment and amusement for all.
i pass out again.
i'm in the recovery room.

transpires i was not coming out of anaesthetic as expected, so im kept in the recovery room next to theatre until they are happy to move me to icu.
nurses were watching me, waiting and expecting signs of me recovering from aneasthesia.
one sharp cookie eventually noticed my toes were moving, but otherwise largely unresponsive.
she points this out to the others - who apparently watched on curiously.
anaesthetist was in and out also keeping watch.
same nurse then realises she can very faintly hear music coming from the earphones.
she removes them, but then another notices my toes stop moving.
earphones are put back in, toes start up - earphones get removed and toes stop again.

she rushes off to find the aneathatist " come quickly, come look".
anaesthetist is panicked, calls the surgeon (both thinking something has gone wrong) - go rushing in to the recovery room.
nurse explains what she had been doing, and repeats her "experiment" for the doctors.
anaesthetist and surgeon repeat the experiment - same result.
at that point the ipod is turned off.
about 15 minutes later i am showing signs of coming out of anaesthetic - i'm moved to icu.

i eventually start waking up.
aneathatist to me: "love is all you need"
my head is still spinning - the man makes no sense.
"love is all you need at the butterfly ball" he says to me with a grin on her face.
icu nurse starts laughing.
"does that not sound at all familiar" he asks me.
my eyeball are rolling all over the place, head is spinning
"its a song", i answer.
pass out again.

some time later i'm awake - surgeon, anaesthetist and nurses watching on in curious anticipation.
everyone is entertained by something.
and then the big reveal - "love is all" was playing at the time in the recovery room, with my toes moving to the music - my toes alone - nothing else.
the great experiment in the recovery room was regaled to all, and met with a great amount of amusement.

so here we go - the source of entertainment:
 
Aged 49 male, bmi 24.5, relatively healthy but only exercising one a week, I try to avoid salt and try to eat healthy, not on any BP or cholesterol related meds, usually my BP reads 135 / 85 on the first reading taken by the nurse or doctor, and can be lowered by the third reading if I relax and / or lay down. My previous reading last sitting up and taken mid afternoon at the work office was 140 / 90 during a medical screening.

I suspect I'm normally dehydrated during these tests, anyways so this time around for the Vitality Health Check I made sure to drink luke warm water an hour before to hydrate after waking up, and been taking slow mag (the mental and physical performance one) for a week prior. The Dis-Chem nurse took my reading as 110 / 78 whilst I was sitting up and this was during the first attempt after she had finger pricked me and I felt like I wasn't even settled down yet. I wonder if this wasn't even a false low reading but I wasnt going to argue about it. In the last five years I've only been in the ideal Vitality range 2 out of 5 times.

Caught a slight cold/throat thing the day before the test, but I wasnt taking any meds yet for it when I did the Vitality Health Check.

Made sure to dress warm as it was 14 degrees outside. Winter/lower temps increases BP if I am not mistaken.
 
RogueTr00per said:
Aged 49 male, bmi 24.5, relatively healthy but only exercising one a week, I try to avoid salt and try to eat healthy, not on any BP or cholesterol related meds, usually my BP reads 135 / 85 on the first reading taken by the nurse or doctor, and can be lowered by the third reading if I relax and / or lay down. My previous reading last sitting up and taken mid afternoon at the work office was 140 / 90 during a medical screening.

I suspect I'm normally dehydrated during these tests, anyways so this time around for the Vitality Health Check I made sure to drink luke warm water an hour before to hydrate after waking up, and been taking slow mag (the mental and physical performance one) for a week prior. The Dis-Chem nurse took my reading as 110 / 78 whilst I was sitting up and this was during the first attempt after she had finger pricked me and I felt like I wasn't even settled down yet. I wonder if this wasn't even a false low reading but I wasnt going to argue about it. In the last five years I've only been in the ideal Vitality range 2 out of 5 times.

Caught a slight cold/throat thing the day before the test, but I wasnt taking any meds yet for it when I did the Vitality Health Check.

Made sure to dress warm as it was 14 degrees outside. Winter/lower temps increases BP if I am not mistaken.
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IIRC, the cold constricts your blood vessels, raising your pressure. It’s why they warn people with bad hearts to not shovel snow, etc (that’s when most of them have heart attacks). It’s also vital that blood pressure is only measured after you’ve been at rest for at least 5 minutes. Along with white coat syndrome, it’s why your BP always appears to be high because you’ve just sat down in the GP’s office, and they immediately strap on a monitor.

Also, be wary of the “salt is bad for you” thing. Salt is essential for the heart. It’s what allows the electrical current to run through your cardiac cells to keep your heart pumping (amongst other things). It’s also important for the transfer of potassium, because it effectively “swaps” it with itself in your cells. And, yes, potassium is essential for heart rhythm. Salts, also known as electrolytes, ensure you maintain some of the water you drink instead of just pissing it out every time.

Obviously, everything is to be used in moderation, because your body has a delicate balance of all the salts it needs to maintain. But don’t cut it out completely. It’s not healthy.
 
The Voice said:
IIRC, the cold constricts your blood vessels, raising your pressure. It’s why they warn people with bad hearts to not shovel snow, etc (that’s when most of them have heart attacks). It’s also vital that blood pressure is only measured after you’ve been at rest for at least 5 minutes. Along with white coat syndrome, it’s why your BP always appears to be high because you’ve just sat down in the GP’s office, and they immediately strap on a monitor.

Also, be wary of the “salt is bad for you” thing. Salt is essential for the heart. It’s what allows the electrical current to run through your cardiac cells to keep your heart pumping (amongst other things). It’s also important for the transfer of potassium, because it effectively “swaps” it with itself in your cells. And, yes, potassium is essential for heart rhythm. Salts, also known as electrolytes, ensure you maintain some of the water you drink instead of just pissing it out every time.

Obviously, everything is to be used in moderation, because your body has a delicate balance of all the salts it needs to maintain. But don’t cut it out completely. It’s not healthy.
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Thanks, if I aim to eat half my meals without salt then I'm sure to still get salt in via the less healthy foods for other meals. In general I really dislike how everything these days is over-flavoured. Going to try to eat a banana a day (for the potassium) where possible, and could do with losing 3-5kg as well.

As my 2023 and 2024 BP tests were done in rooms that were cold, I think that would have had some impact of my readings, and 2024's readings were taken in a very noisy environment at Discovery's premises in Century City. Dis-Chem that I went to this past weekend was nice and warm.
 
6e4c292df0213a5ae301e0dacb5437a8.jpg
 
2 hours after my run this morning

125/70

ooerrr and I haven't taken my meds today
 
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Right arm, Omron, 122/69
Left arm, Garmin, 123/77
 
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Sinbad said:
Right arm, Omron, 122/69
Left arm, Garmin, 123/77
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Been seeing more things recently that the left arm is the gold standard because the heart is closer to the artery in that arm. Apparently gives a “true” reading. Checked my Omron and even the image on the cuff that shows how to put it on has it on the left arm. I’ve always just done it using my right arm, though, but will change over and see if there’s a difference.
 
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