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[Hanslanda]

Doc said I have somewhat elevated BP. I'm feeling it atm. Wondering if there's simple things I can do to lower it a bit.

Relevant: 26 year old white male, 6'3 200lbs (~190cm ~90 kilos) family history of high BP, low salt intake, high alcohol intake (also know I shouldn't drink but ya know)

Any advice would be appreciated.

[Khan Boyzitbig]

You've had quite a lot of stress in your life I know that, and a doc saying you have high blood pressure (along with just going to the doc) will cause your blood pressure to increase. Stress causes higher blood pressure.

As for lowering it, I don't really know, maybe consume less caffeine? Avoiding stressful situations will help prevent it going higher.

If you get prescribed any medication and take it followed by wooziness or lethargy or unusually exhausted then stop taking them because your blood pressure wasn't high enough to safely do so.

I don't know a huge amount about high blood pressure, my family tend towards low instead, just that as long as it is simply above average and not dangerously high there is little to actually worry about.

[nenjin]

Meditation to help manage the stress, for one. Whatever you can do to stay off blood pressure meds or the more aggressive treatments.

Also the link between sodium and hypertension may not be ironclad. I would consider trying to get the daily recommended dose of salt and see if that actually makes your symptoms worse or not. Low sodium can be plenty damaging on its own, versus high sodium (versus the right amount.)

[Doomblade187]

Hm. Then again, 'low' salt intake in America could mean many things. I would suggest mapping the sodium content of what you typically eat in a week. Would let you know if you're high or low.

[ChairmanPoo]

Doc said I have somewhat elevated BP. I'm feeling it atm. Wondering if there's simple things I can do to lower it a bit.

Relevant: 26 year old white male, 6'3 200lbs (~190cm ~90 kilos) family history of high BP, low salt intake, high alcohol intake (also know I shouldn't drink but ya know)

Any advice would be appreciated.

You´re answering your own question. It´s well established that high alcohol consumption can lead to hypertension, and that reducing alcohol consumption will have an impact on blood pressure. Try to cut down on it. Depending on how much you´re drinking you might or might not need help with that.  That aside, get followed up by your GP and follow his/her advice on the subject.

[Truean]

Agreed. CP is infinitely more qualified than I. Target is 120/80 still (Systolic/Diastolic)?

Yeah, basically, seriously consider what your doctor recommends. I'm sure CP could tell you in great detail the reasons why high BP is scary. Please take care of yourself:
Eating healthier (I know, harder to do than say).
Less alcohol (I had to work on this, but it's possible if that helps).
Stress relief (May help with the alcohol, or rather it did for me, but to be fair, this was because my pain meds are not to be taken with booze, so.... Something had to give.).

[Hanslanda]

Appreciate all the suggestions. I've been cutting down alcohol intake slowly. I actually have an extremely healthy diet for the most part, in part because fruits and veggies are my job. I literally almost never eat processed foods and rarely put salt in meals. Occasionally I have some saltines or Gatorade to replenish sodium levels.

I have some stress, tis true, but as a semi-recovered addict, I'm loathe to get prescribed anything potentially addictive. My GP just told me to keep an eye on it and I've been checking it semi-regularly. It averages around 130/85 ish, lower in the mornings, higher at the end of the day. It's been as high as 159/93. Strangely it went down, at least short term, after I got home and drank. Dunno what's up there.

[nenjin]

Saltines and Gatorade alone honestly probably aren't enough.

Also, how is your calcium intake? Do you avoid dairy? Calcium is a component of regulating blood pressure as well.

[nenjin]

Hey Hans, give this video a watch.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hT18-qwt_hQ

It goes over a couple components of high blood pressure that you might find enlightening.

[Hanslanda]

Saltines and Gatorade alone honestly probably aren't enough.

Also, how is your calcium intake? Do you avoid dairy? Calcium is a component of regulating blood pressure as well.

I drink milk and eat cheese extremely regularly, I'll watch the video soon

[Caz]

magnesium supplement yo. get something your body can absorb, like magnesium citrate or glycinate. magnesium is a really common deficiency especially in the alcohol-dependant. funnily enough one of its symptoms is high blood pressure. also lessens anxiety, stops muscle twitches + helps sleep. it's so common that they will put magnesium in the banana bag if you end up in hospital withdrawing. magnesium.

tl;dr - magnesium = chill zone

[Hanslanda]

magnesium supplement yo. get something your body can absorb, like magnesium citrate or glycinate. magnesium is a really common deficiency especially in the alcohol-dependant. funnily enough one of its symptoms is high blood pressure. also lessens anxiety, stops muscle twitches + helps sleep. it's so common that they will put magnesium in the banana bag if you end up in hospital withdrawing. magnesium.

tl;dr - magnesium = chill zone

I'm definitely gonna get a magnesium supplement then.

[nenjin]

The banana bag is the good shit.

[simpleyuji]

Well, omega 3/fish oil supplements are known to reduce BP. And frequent exercise to keep the body in shape is a good way to go about it as well. Salt aside, sugar is another biggie to avoid as well. Which means avoiding softdrinks, sweets, as much as possible.

[ChairmanPoo]

https://www.cochrane.org/news/new-cochrane-health-evidence-challenges-belief-omega-3-supplements-reduce-risk-heart-disease