Blood Pressure

[Ming the Merciless]

Just done my healthy over 40s blood pressure check. I think you are meant to be invited in for a checkup. But they just seem to periodically ask for a blood pressure reading (since pandemic kicked off). I guess if it’s too high or too low they’d be a follow up. This is second one I’ve done (but first requested by GP surgery) since I had Covid in early November. The reading was 101/60. It’s trended slightly down since my last reading.

I’ve been having porridge for breakfast since last reading. I’m also drinking less alcohol. I haven’t drunk much (about 5-6 pints spread over a week) since my long forgotten teens and twenties but still it’s a little less. Not a snacker and thus crisps and biscuits not a regular part of my diet. Exercise volume up as we head toward Spring

Don’t want Diastolic much lower according to chart; but I don’t suffer from dizziness at all.

 

[Sharky]

Coincidence - I just took my blood pressure reading an hour ago. 109 over 78, so in the "green".
It had been creeping up towards the end of last year, so reassuring to see it come down a bit. Think it's down to a more active Jan & Feb as I start my build up to the start of our evening 10's in April.

 

[I like Skol]

Don’t want Diastolic much lower according to chart

I think you are misreading the chart?

I'm no medic, but purely based on the info in that chart you are good even as low as 100/40?

I'm sure the cut-off isn't quite as angular as the chart suggests and there are many other health and lifestyle factors to consider, but this may be a classic case if a little information being a dangerous thing? You are not on the border of the concern zone so carry on as you are.....

 

[I like Skol]

I'd be more worried about my systolic dropping a square in your situation because that moves you close to the danger zone on both counts whereas diastolic can drop by two boxes and apparently still be good (although we don't know what happens when you fall off the edge of the chart?)

 

[Ming the Merciless]

It had been creeping up towards the end of last year, so reassuring to see it come down a bit

That’s good; my father died of a heart attack and mother had hypertension treated with drugs to lower it. Thus I don’t think the genetic side is blessed; though clearly my genetics will be my own depending on what the mixing desk came up with. I can control the healthy life style.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

but this may be a classic case if a little information being a dangerous thing?

Oh I wouldn’t say I’m concerned. If I started getting symptoms such as regular dizzy spells or something that might be a trigger to speak to GP. But I feel great, no issues.

Besides people with low blood pressure tend to live longer than those with high, or even normal, blood pressure. I’ll keep that thought.

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Just done my healthy over 40s blood pressure check. I think you are meant to be invited in for a checkup. But they just seem to periodically ask for a blood pressure reading (since pandemic kicked off). I guess if it’s too high or too low they’d be a follow up. This is second one I’ve done (but first requested by GP surgery) since I had Covid in early November. The reading was 101/60. It’s trended slightly down since my last reading.

I’ve been having porridge for breakfast since last reading. I’m also drinking less alcohol. I haven’t drunk much (about 5-6 pints spread over a week) since my long forgotten teens and twenties but still it’s a little less. Not a snacker and thus crisps and biscuits not a regular part of my diet. Exercise volume up as we head toward Spring

Don’t want Diastolic much lower according to chart; but I don’t suffer from dizziness at all.

View attachment 679710

Good figures. I've been having annual checks since my heart attack in 2016, sometimes they can't get an accurate figure, white coat syndrome, and I'll have to provide my own readings, I have a blood pressure machine in the house, I've just checked mine and its a little high, but I'm a little delicate from yesterdays celebrations and I'm hardly cycling at all these days.

 

[Sharky]

That’s good; my father died of a heart attack and mother had hypertension treated with drugs to lower it. Thus I don’t think the genetic side is blessed; though clearly my genetics will be my own depending on what the mixing desk came up with. I can control the healthy life style.

My father was a life long cyclist, although he stopped being competitive in 1954. He was also a smoker for much of his life, especially during the WW2 years when posted in India for 4 years. He passed 30 years ago, age 73, from bowel cancer. The scary thing is, is that I will be that age in the summer.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

My father was a life long cyclist, although he stopped being competitive in 1954. He was also a smoker for much of his life, especially during the WW2 years when posted in India for 4 years. He passed 30 years ago, age 73, from bowel cancer. The scary thing is, is that I will be that age in the summer.

Yeah my dad smoked, 40 a day, died aged 51. It was reflective when I reached his age as you wonder if you’re in for the same fate. I have a picture I took when I was exactly same age at which he died. It’s outside and I was appreciating that I was able to be in the outdoors enjoying being alive.

 

[I like Skol]

Oh I wouldn’t say I’m concerned.

But still came on here to see what other people thought? I think a healthy result like that warrants a 'Great, forget about it and get on with life'?

 

[Deleted member 1258]

Yeah my dad smoked, 40 a day, died aged 51. It was reflective when I reached his age as you wonder if you’re in for the same fate. I have a picture I took when I was exactly same age at which he died. It’s outside and I was appreciating that I was able to be in the outdoors enjoying being alive.

My Dad was 48 when he died, he had a stroke, I remember that feeling when I was his age, I'm now 71 and still in better shape than he was when he died.

 

[Ming the Merciless]

But still came on here to see what other people thought? I think a healthy result like that warrants a 'Great, forget about it and get on with life'?

I didn’t come on here to see what people thought. I’m just curious as to how others are doing , and in order to encourage sharing, I often think it better to share your own numbers first. Having curiosity in something doesn’t mean it’s a concern.

As to the NHS calculator; you are right, as long as Systolic is over 90, the diastolic can be as low as 40 and it considers it in the healthy range.

 

[lazybloke]

(although we don't know what happens when you fall off the edge of the chart?)

Go too low and you implode?

I've written before about fainting after a jabs, and not being certain of what my bp was ... but I'm fairly sure it was 60:30.
There I am, definitely off the chart. Oh, it looks like a drop of ... <THUD>

 

[rogerzilla]

Mine's more like 125/65 on a "rest day" but it's not changed in 10 years and the doctors are quite happy. It slips to more like 110/50 after a long ride, which causes grey-outs when standing up.

 

[KnittyNorah]

I have a neighbour who is obsessed about her BP. I don't know why, whenever she's told/asked me about it, it's well within the normal range. She just doesn't seem to understand what the numbers relate to and gets worried if it varies - by one or two digits! - from the reading yesterday/last week/last month/whenever - which of course it always does.

I have VERY SEVERE white coat syndrome. Like 195/125 last time I was in the Dr's surgery.
24 hr monitoring gives me a perfectly acceptable 120-ish/75-ish!