High Blood Pressure? (137/60)

there ya go, ho

run more eat less wrote:

there ya go, ho

I'm a 3:57 1500m guy. I came to let-srun with this question, not lets-eat.

It's probably hereditary. See a doctor and get some bp medicine to bring it down.

First of all, the top number (your systolic BP) is not clinically "high" (unless you're a diabetic), but rather considered "prehypertensive." Once it climbs to 140+, it is then considered high/hypertensive.

That being said, there may be many reasons why it's a little higher than ideal (100-120 is the "normal" range for systolic BP). Diet, genetics, stress, etc.

How old are you? If you're under 30 I'd hardly even give a second thought to it, but keep an eye on your BP to ensure it's not climbing up significantly higher. Even if you're older, I would find it hard to believe that any other doctor would look at your numbers and find the need to treat it clinically. A normal course of action would be to schedule a nurse appointment a week to several weeks from the initial reading, and if it's still up there, or even higher, then you could schedule a follow up visit for your doc to review proper ways to keep your blood pressure at bay without turning to meds.

At 137/60, the most sound advice is probably "it's not technically considered 'high', but it's something you want to keep an eye on." One quick and dirty piece of advice is to cut way back on your sodium intake.

Hope this post helps at least a little.

top number(systolic pressure/pressure when heart beats), bottom number(diastolic pressure/pressure when heart relaxes(?)). "normal" bp 120/80. so your diastolic pressure looks good(if not a little low?- but possibly normal for an in shape runner). i've heard that a large spread between systolic and diastolic can be indicative of a propensity for stroke. when in doubt ask an m.d.

txRUNNERgirl wrote:

It's probably hereditary. See a doctor and get some bp medicine to bring it down.

are you qualified to determine that his condition is hereditary and to dictate that he needs bp meds?

I would recommend talking to the doctor but before that you need to have consistent BP taken and make sure it isn't the whole white coat thing.

I personally would be wary of meds because well...probably more than you want to hear, but runningwise, depending on how competitive you are, they can mess things up.

Just remember, medications never cure things, they change one thing in the body and then another is changed (or multiple) as a side effect, there is always a tradeoff.

Buy a trustworthy blood pressure monitor yourself and check yourself out in different situations before you make any decisions.

You’ll find it will vary quite a lot and the monitor will calculate the average.

I found my sister taking drugs prescribed to lower blood pressure - but when I checked her on my monitor (the same make as the doctors) - her pressure was abnormally low!

She’s the nervous type who’s pressure automatically rose when a doctor took her pressure.

That number is not high at all. If you get a second opinion they will tell you to ignore it.

Ask a Doctor. The dopes on Letsrun don't know doo doo.

You need to take your blood pressure over a period of time to get an accurate indication.

Here are my latest 2 readings over 2 days.

140/86

129/76

These are actual readings.

I'm mid 50's and these type of variations are not uncommon for me.

When I donate blood, they check your blood pressure and record on a handy card that I carry. My last threee readings...

5/22/06 136/86

10/18/06 124/78

12/14/06 118/76

So numbers will vary over time. If they stay high, I'd be more concerned.

"It's probably hereditary. See a doctor and get some bp medicine to bring it down."

What terrible advice. Take regular readings to see what your variations are (one reading doesn't mean high BP) while implementing some diet changes (ie cut back on the sodium). The "ideal" treatment for BP is diet and exercise, THEN meds if that's not enough. Most people won't really do the diet/exercise part, but being a runner, you probably will be able to. If it's still on the high side, THEN see a doctor and see what your options are.

What's your HR? If you measure in the high 20s or very low 30s, then this is a pretty typical systolic pressure. Consider it a weird side effect of training. Worry about it if the diastolic reading increases, too.

Wow, so much great advice, thank you all. I'm in my mid 40s, still running plenty, diet is good, 35min 10k shape, resting HR in the low 40s usually.

Your blood pressure is very similar to mine. I always had a high systolic number and a relatively low diastolic number. Readings like 140/70 were common. Since I was always in good shape, ate a sound diet, etc. the doctor never prescribed meds. Still, the high number bothered me a bit. About two years ago, I changed my diet around a bit. I basically eliminated all high glycemic carbs. I used to eat a lot of pasta, bread, cereal, bagels, etc. Now, I eat much more whole grain, high fiber, fruits, and vegetables instead. Now, my blood pressure is typically @ 120/70. Go figure.

diet??? wrote:

Your blood pressure is very similar to mine. I always had a high systolic number and a relatively low diastolic number. Readings like 140/70 were common. Since I was always in good shape, ate a sound diet, etc. the doctor never prescribed meds. Still, the high number bothered me a bit. About two years ago, I changed my diet around a bit. I basically eliminated all high glycemic carbs. I used to eat a lot of pasta, bread, cereal, bagels, etc. Now, I eat much more whole grain, high fiber, fruits, and vegetables instead. Now, my blood pressure is typically @ 120/70. Go figure.

This is me exactly....up to your change of diet. Mmmm...