Dont Sit Down So Much
Just standing is far better for you than sitting and uses more muscles. So get up and stand or walk around at every opportunity, e.g., when on the phone or during a commercial break on TV. Get up for frequent tea/coffee breaks.
If you work at a desk, get or make a higher one that you can stand at. Some companies are getting wise to this and providing standing desks for their employees. If you cant get one, you could always put a box on your desk as a temporary solution. Just as with a normal desk, make sure its a good height for you, so that if youre using a keyboard, you can keep your elbows at roughly a right angle and type without strain.
Beware the chair, as some now say
Reasons Your Blood Pressure Fluctuates
If you are seeing regular fluctuations in your blood pressure readings, youre not alone. Some variation in your blood pressure throughout the day is normal. In fact, there are a number of reasons for this including small changes in daily life, such as stress, exercise or even how well you slept the night before.
According to the American Heart Association , there are more than 116 million adults in the U.S. with high blood pressure. Recently, the U.S. Surgeon General, VADM Jerome Adams, released a for hypertension control to make it a national public health priority. Experts have called for monitoring your blood pressure at home because it is a great way to gain a better understanding of your numbers.
Knowing and regularly measuring your can help you see irregularities that you want to call to your doctors attention. Keeping track of your numbers may help your doctor determine a course of action or treatment. If variances in your blood pressure readings exist, it is important to know that there are some factors you can controlbut some you cant. Lets look at some of the reasons that may cause your blood pressure to fluctuate.
How To Measure Your Blood Pressure At Home
If you need to measure your blood pressure at home, the following tips may be helpful in getting accurate readings:
- Carefully choose your monitor. An automated, cuff-style monitor that fits around your upper arm is recommended by the American Heart Association. When choosing a monitor, check the:
- Fit. Make sure that the cuff fits over your upper arm.
- Validation. Check to see if the monitor is certified by a respected organization, like the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation or the British Hypertension Society. If its for an older adult, a child, or a pregnant woman, make sure the monitor is specifically validated for these groups.
- Accuracy. Bring your monitor along with you to your next doctors visit. That way, you can make sure that its giving the same readings as your doctors equipment.
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Why Does Laying On My Side Lower My Blood Pressure
Fact Checked
Medications, exercise, state of mind, posture and more can affect blood pressure. Laying down on either side will likely lower blood pressure, but it will change again once you move. To get accurate blood pressure results, sit in a chair with feet flat on the ground 1.
If you are experiencing serious medical symptoms, seek emergency treatment immediately.
Can Sitting Too Much Raise Blood Pressure
Image by londonbusmuseum.com
It seems a bit unbelievable that something as simple and everyday as sitting affects blood pressure. But its true. Researchers first started to cotton on to the unhealthy effects of being seated a lot after a 1950 study of London transport workers.
The study compared the health of bus drivers and bus conductors, and found that bus drivers were twice as likely to have heart attacks than bus conductors! Obviously, both were working in the same environment but bus drivers sit and conductors stand, and that turned out to be the crucial difference.
Why does sitting raise blood pressure?
Its not just that sitting down uses up less energy than standing or moving around. Theres something about sitting itself that has negative effects on our health.
Sitting for much of the day has been linked to higher blood pressure, increased risk of heart disease and stroke and diabetes , and even risk of earlier-than-otherwise death!
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What Should I Do If My Blood Pressure Is 160 Over 100
Your doctor
If your blood pressure is higher than 160/100 mmHg, then three visits are enough. If your blood pressure is higher than 140/90 mmHg, then five visits are needed before a diagnosis can be made. If either your systolic or diastolic blood pressure stays high, then the diagnosis of hypertension can be made.
Office Blood Pressure Measurement
The conventional OBP measurement was performed automatically with the technique compliant with European Society of Cardiology guidelines . Office systolic blood pressure and office diastolic blood pressure were measured in a quiet room in the presence of a trained physician or nurse . The subjects were asked not to smoke or drink any drinks potentially increasing BP or take drugs influencing BP within 12 h before measurement. They were seated comfortably with an arm supported and legs uncrossed. The average value of the two measurements was used as the final OSBP and ODBP reading. The BP category of AH was defined according to the European Society of Cardiology guidelines : grade 1 OSBP 140159 mm Hg and/or ODBP 9099 mm Hg, grade 2 OSBP 160179 mm Hg and/or ODBP 100109 mm Hg, grade 3 OSBP greater than 180 mm Hg and/or ODBP greater than 110 mm Hg.
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How Can You Bring Your Blood Pressure Down Quickly
Here are some simple recommendations:
Why You Should Take Your Own Blood Pressure At Home Or On The Go
Because of regular fluctuations in blood pressure, white-coat syndrome, and masked hypertension, doctors;may recommend self-monitoring for people with HBP. There are;many benefits to taking your own BP:
- Knowing your actual, average blood pressure outside of regular fluctuations
- Gaining more control over your blood pressure
- Tracking your progress
- Saving time and possibly money from frequent doctor visits and complications
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Can You Smell Death Coming
The brain is the first organ to begin to break down, and other organs follow suit. Living bacteria in the body, particularly in the bowels, play a major role in this decomposition process, or putrefaction. This decay produces a very potent odor. Even within a half hour, you can smell death in the room, he says.
More Ways To Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally
What if sitting less and doing more exercise isnt enough to lower your blood pressure? Or its lowering it to some extent, but not enough? If thats the case, then you probably need to look at your diet and/or your stress levels too.
Dont stop exercising, because it is undeniably good for your blood pressure, not to mention your general health and mental well-being. But do think about what youre eating and drinking. And if youre prone to stress, then consider taking measures to reduce that. Meditation, yoga, and simple slow breathing exercises can be excellent for this.
This might seem a lot to take on. After all, there are a wide variety of foods and drinks out there so how do you know whats best for your blood pressure? And are you seriously going to be able to reduce your stress levels with some breathing exercises? And how will you make the time for all this?
To make it easier, weve written a guide to lowering your blood pressure through diet, exercise and stress reduction:;Lower Your Blood Pressure Naturally The Complete 9 Step Guide
As the title suggests, the guide takes a holistic approach to lowering blood pressure. It covers what youre eating and drinking, useful supplements you might want to take, different kinds of exercise you can do, and various approaches to relaxation and stress reduction.
Just click on the picture above for more information and/or to order it.
And all the best with lowering your blood pressure!
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Get Plenty Exercise When Youre Not Sitting
Many of us cant avoid sitting down a lot, especially if we work at a desk or travel a lot. So, if you really cant avoid it, then do your best to get in a good bout of moderate exercise in at some point or points in the day.
Some studies suggest you need to do at least an hour of moderate exercise a day to counteract the negative effects of sitting for most of the day. It doesnt have to be an hour all at once it could be in three twenty-minute stints.
For example, one Australian study found that going for a short walk for half an hour in the morning, as well as having short breaks from sitting throughout the day, could improve blood pressure a little.
Swimming is a particularly good way of alleviating some of the negative effects of sitting. Since the water supports your body, it really allows you to relax and stretch use different muscles. Even if youre not a serious swimmer, just messing about in the water is good for you. More details on that here: 1 activity you really need if you spend most of your day sitting
Additional Tips For Measuring Blood Pressure Lying Down
- Dont eat or drink caffeine 30 minutes prior to your blood pressure measurement. Caffeine and coffee can cause a temporary spike. I wrote a whole blog post on how coffee affects your BP, short and long-term. You may be surprised about the long-term effect, you can read about it right here, Does Coffee Raise Blood Pressure.
- Dont measure your blood pressure with a full bladder. It can raise your systolic pressure by 10 to 15 mmHg 3.
- Always measure your blood pressure prior to taking any medication. In addition, most medical experts recommend measuring in the morning after relaxing and before eating.
- Dont smoke 30 minutes prior to measuring your blood pressure.
- Avoid any exercise within 30 minutes because it can affect your readings 4.
- Dont take any cold or warm showers before measuring your pressure.
- Use the correct size BP cuff.
- Make sure the cuff is positioned properly on the arm. This can be as critical as using an incorrect cuff size. Read more about how to do it correctly in my blog post, Blood Pressure Cuff Placement.
- Dont text, talk on the phone or watch television while relaxing or measuring your pressure.
- Take two to three measurements and keep a log of your results. Most newer home monitors store the information on the machine or a phone app. In addition, you can send the results to your physician through the app. If youre looking to upgrade your home monitor, you can check out the one I use here in my blog post, Home Blood Pressure Monitors.
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What Are The Best Sleeping Positions For High Blood Pressure
Not everyone agrees on the best sleeping positions for high blood pressure, but;sleep specialist, and medical director of the;Martha Jefferson Hospital Sleep Medicine Center, W. Christopher Winter,;says that;sleeping on the left side;is the best sleeping position for high blood pressure because it relieves pressure on blood vessels that return blood to the heart. These vessels are located on the right side of the body and may become compressed slowing your;circulation if you sleep on your right side. Sleeping on your left side is important for pregnant women concerned with high blood pressure. Because the growing baby presses against internal organs and may cause circulation issues, sleeping on the left side will help with circulation and may prevent high blood pressure.
According to research conducted by;Yasuharu;Tabara;and his colleagues from the;Ehime;University School of Medicine in;Ehime, Japan,;sleeping face down;may be the key to lowering blood pressure while you sleep. Results of their study indicated that blood pressure may drop more than 15 points when you change from sleeping face up to face down.
Can A Hot Shower Lower Your Blood Pressure
Lowers blood pressure. Studies have shown that soaking in a hot bath can lower your blood pressure. This is a great system for those with heart conditions and even those who dont. But first, consult your doctor if you do have a heart condition because a hot bath will also raise the rate of your heartbeat.
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Cuff And Arm Position
The procedure is very similar to measuring your blood pressure sitting down, except youre lying down. The major mistake people make is resting their arm directly on the bed. The American Heart Association specifically states if the arm is resting on the bed, it will be below heart level 1.
The AHA also states when measurements are taken in a lying down position; the arm can be supported by a pillow so it can raise up to the same level as the right atrium. Just like in the sitting position, if the cuff is below heart level, your blood pressure reading will be unaccurate.
In a study published in the Journal of Human Hypertension, 25 people had their blood pressure measured while lying down. First, their measurements were performed with their right arms at the right atrium height. The second measurement was performed with the arm resting on the bed. The results showed both systolic and diastolic pressure were higher, 4.6 mmHg and 3.9 mmHg respectively, when the arm was resting on the bed 2.
This backs up other research findings when the BP cuff is below heart level, while sitting. The readings are higher than when at the correct heart level. You can read about it here in my blog post, Effect of Arm Position On Blood Pressure.
Influence Of Body Position On Bp Readings
A total of 57 hypertensive patients years, BMI 25.7±4.4 kg/m2, arm circumference right 29.2±3.3 cm and left 28.9±3.3 cm) participated in this part of the study. Of these, 50 patients were on antihypertensive drug treatment. Two sessions of BP measurements, separated by a 10min pause, were performed in two positions: lying on a bed with the arms supported with the palms upwards and both the cubital fossa and the upper arm at halfway between the bed and the sternum and sitting on a chair with the arms supported horizontally with the palms upwards and again both the cubital fossa and the upper arm at the level of the midsternum. The arm was placed at the approximated right atrium level using a levelling instrument. Each session started with 5min rest in the respective position. Then BP recordings were taken in triplicate 1min apart, simultaneously at both arms, using a Hawksley random-zero sphygmomanometer and a stethoscope at the right arm and an automatic oscillometric device at the left arm. In between, a 20s heart rate was counted at the right radial artery.
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Best Sleeping Positions For People With High Blood Pressure
If you are one of the 75 million Americans with high blood pressure, you have probably already made efforts to lower your numbers with lifestyle changes. But what you may not know is that changing the way you sleep may help bring down those numbers, too. Not only does the length;and quality of your sleep make an impact on your blood pressure, but the position you sleep in can make a big difference, too.; Find out how changing your sleeping habits and position can help you lower your blood pressure and improve your overall health.
Ask The Doctor: Should I Worry About Low Nighttime Blood Pressure
Q. My systolic blood pressure is high in the morning , but in the evening it drops to below 100. I am taking two blood pressure medications daily and still experiencing seriously low blood pressure at night. What would you suggest?
A. Everyone’s blood pressure changes throughout the day, and it’s often highest in the morning and lowest at night. You seem worried about the low pressure at night, but that would concern me only if it’s accompanied by symptoms such as dizziness or fainting. A systolic pressure below the normal of 120 is usually not worrisome. In fact, studies show that low blood pressure while you are sleeping predicts low cardiovascular risk.
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