Blood Pressure Cuff Placement
Most blood pressure reading errors are the result of improper sizingof the blood pressure cuff or placing the cuff over clothing. Improperplacement of the cuff over clothing can cause your blood pressure measurementto increase 10 to 50 points. If the cuff is too small, it can add 2 to 10points your reading. Be sure to roll up your sleeve for a blood pressure testand also let your doctor know if the cuff feels too tight around your arm.
Blood Pressure And Heart Rate
Specially trained nurses measured blood pressure in seated participants, after four minutes or two minutes , with the cuff placed on the right upper arm, and with the arm rested on a table at heart-level. Cuff size was adjusted after measuring the arm circumference. At baseline, blood pressure was measured using calibrated mercury manometers with standard cuff size. The first pulse sound was registered as systolic blood pressure and the level at which the pulse disappeared as diastolic blood pressure. The measurements were repeated after two minutes, and the second reading was used in this study. At years 11 and 22, blood pressure was measured with a Dinamap 845XT based on oscillometry. Blood pressure was measured automatically three times at one-minute intervals. The mean of the second and third reading was used in this study. At HUNT 1, resting heart rate at the wrist was counted for 15 seconds or for 30 seconds if the heart was irregular. At HUNT 2 and 3, heart rate was measured by the Dinamap. Heart rate was expressed as beats/min.
High Blood Pressure May Cause Anxiety
Whether or not high blood pressure directly causes anxiety is less clear. More often than not, anxiety causes high blood pressure first, which causes the person to worry about their blood pressure and ultimately experience more anxiety.
It’s possible that high blood pressure does cause anxiety, but most likely the anxiety is a response to the high blood pressure experience, or to concerns over a person’s health. Most people can’t feel their blood pressure because high blood pressure on its own doesn’t cause any symptoms. But some of the other causes of high blood pressure may cause a person to feel more anxiety.
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How To Reduce Stress
Lets conclude the article with some tips on how to reduce stress:
- Stay active each time we exercise the body releases endorphins which boost our mood. Not only does exercising regularly combat stress, but it can also lower your blood pressure and strengthen your heart. It doesnt have to be an intense gym workout just taking a walk, playing a sport or going for a swim is a great stress reliever
- Learn to switch off if you have a stressful life, it might be time to shut down for a little while. That means taking yourself away from the social media feeds, TV programmes and emails that can threaten to take over our day
- Laugh dont underestimate just how much having a laugh can be beneficial for the heart. Research has proven that laughing lowers stress hormone levels and reduces inflammation of the arteries
- Get enough sleep getting a restful nights sleep of seven to nine hours can give you a stronger mindset to deal with stress when it presents itself. Research suggests its a catch 22 situation high stress levels can lead to sleeping problems, while not getting enough sleep can also increase stress
- Speak to a professional It can help to talk things through, especially with professional guidance from qualified practitioners. And whilst talking to a counsellor or therapist may not completely eradicate the problem, its been proven to dramatically reduce levels of stress.
Effect Of Combined Anxiety And Depression On Mean Blood Pressure
We found symptoms of anxiety and depression to predict a relative decrease in blood pressure during 22-year follow-up. Baseline level of anxiety and depression was positively associated with a decrease in systolic blood pressure in linear regression analyses adjusted for age, sex, educational level and baseline blood pressure. For diastolic blood pressure, we found a similar non-significant trend. A high symptom level at both baseline and at year 11 was more strongly associated with a decrease in blood pressure during 22-year follow up. In individuals with a high symptom level at all three examinations, we found an even stronger decrease for both systolic and diastolic blood pressure compared with individuals with a lower symptom level. Additional adjustment for other health factors and for antihypertensive medication did not change the overall pattern of results, but the effect of combined anxiety and depression on blood pressure was slightly attenuated .
Table 2 Association of combined anxiety/depression scores1 with change in blood pressure from baseline to 22-year follow-up
Excluding individuals using antidepressant medication at year 11 did not change the results essentially: a high symptom level at all three examinations was associated with a slightly lower decrease in systolic and diastolic blood pressure. However, after excluding those using antihypertensive medication at baseline or at year 22 , we found a stronger effect on systolic and diastolic blood pressure.
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High Blood Pressure Ruins Lives
You know this. I know this. Without an effective remedy we run serious risks of heart disease, heart failure, strokes, kidney disease, vascular dementia
High blood pressure had been the death of my father and my grandfather before him.
Popping pills didnt do anything for either of them. Same for me. And undoubtedly the same for you.
Pills did not lower the chances of me contracting serious fatal illnesses.
And pills didnt do anything for the thousands of people who, in the end, turned to Christians The Blood Pressure Program for relief.
For me, for them and for you too using chemical drugs that arent solving this health problem is a one-way ticket to serious illness.
Continuing to rely on treatments that have been shown to let patients grow steadily more ill is a recipe for worry, ill-health and disaster.
Dont do this to yourself.
Today, you have choices. Either chemical treatments with nasty side-effects and a very poor record for success.
Or a natural approach that addresses your high blood pressure at its cause and sends blood pressure into freefall.
High Blood Pressure Is A Choice
I learned how to give my brain a vital focused break through following Christians The Blood Pressure Program.
And it gave me something I hadnt had before: genuine, meaningful choice.
I could choose to do the exercises every day or most days and be well and healthy.
Or I could take medicines for the rest of my life, put up with side-effects and hope to goodness the problem doesnt get worse over time.
Choice one is the winner for me.
For a little input, I get to live a full life, free of risk and worry.
And all those lifestyle warnings that were told will worsen our condition?
Not a problem.
Because now it doesnt matter if my weight fluctuates a bit The Blood Pressure Program keeps my blood pressure at normal levels anyway.
If I eat something salty or tuck into foods that are on the naughty list so be it. Itll have no effect.
Nor does it matter if I have a few too many alcoholic beverages at a celebration I know Im going to be okay.
And if Im a bit lazy and dont do much exercise? No sweat my blood pressure isnt going to leave the safe zone.
The peace of mind Im enjoying now is incredible. Whatever else life throws at me, I dont ever expect high blood pressure to ever rear its ugly head ever again.
And thatll do for me!
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Warning Before Taking Xanax
Xanax should not be used carelessly. There are several things you need to know before undergoing treatment with Xanax, namely:
- Do not take Xanax if you are allergic to alprazolam or other benzodiazepine drugs.
- Do not take Xanax if you are taking ketoconazole, itraconazole, or other opioid drugs, such as codeine.
- Do not consume alcoholic beverages while on treatment with Xanax, as this can increase the risk of fatal side effects.
- Tell your doctor if you have or are currently suffering from severe respiratory distress, kidney disease, sleep apnea, liver disease, glaucoma, seizures, or depression.
- Tell your doctor if you are or have ever had drug abuse or alcohol addiction.
- Do not drive a vehicle or do activities that require alertness while taking Xanax, as this medicine can cause dizziness and drowsiness.
- Be careful using Xanax in the elderly, because this drug is at risk of side effects and overdose.
- If you are pregnant, nursing, or planning to have a baby, tell your doctor.
- If you take certain medicines, supplements, or herbal remedies, tell your doctor.
- See your doctor right away if you experience an allergic drug reaction, serious side effects, or overdose after taking Xanax.
So Why Wasnt My Doctor Happy With My Transformation
A visit to my doctor the following week with blood pressure now comfortably in the safe zone was met with disbelief. And, I must say, a little annoyance.
I think she was exasperated and embarrassed, perhaps? that I had chosen my own path. And that it had worked so astonishingly well.
She asked me more than once if Id increased my meds without consulting her.
I told her that I hadnt and that I wanted to come off my meds. A request that she refused.
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Ways To Reduce Stress And Keep Blood Pressure Down
When it comes to preventing and treating high blood pressure, one often-overlooked strategy is managing stress. If you often find yourself tense and on-edge, try these seven ways to reduce stress.
For more information on lifestyle changes to treat high blood pressure and how to choose the right medication if needed, read , a Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School.
How Does Stress Put Me At Risk For High Blood Pressure
In stressful situations, your body produces hormones like adrenaline, which triggers your fight or flight response. This natural, fear-based response can make your heart temporarily beat faster and work harder. When your heart beats faster and harder, your blood vessels become narrower, which can lead to high blood pressure.
During stressful times, your blood pressure may rise for a short time. Typically, your blood pressure will return to normal once the stressful situation ends.
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Tackle Causes To End Illness
First, Christian has a solid track record of reversing a number of chronic illnesses that modern medicine is barely coping with.
His philosophy is shockingly simple: he hunts down root causes for a particular condition and tackles those causes.
I thought that was what all medicine did!
Not so. What doctors tend to do is treat the symptoms not the causes.
Why? Why does medicine tend to tackle the effects of an illness rather than its causes?
Its because the causes of diseases are most often natural lifestyle things. Things we do, food we eat, our state of mind and so on.
None of these can be affected by pharmaceutical drugs.
Whereas symptoms the pain we feel as a result of the cause can be altered by pharmas drugs.
So in a pill-popping industrial health society the health industry prescribes pills to address symptoms.
But addressing only the symptoms of an illness leaves the illness firmly in place.
Anxiety Or Calm Can Cause False Blood Pressure Readings
Medical professionals have long known that blood pressure measured in a doctors office may not match your true normal blood pressure. This may be due to one of two conditions that cause false readings, and recent research shows that both call for more consistent and accurate blood pressure monitoring.
When stress and anxiety caused by a clinic or hospital visit lead to higher-than-normal blood pressure readings, the effect is known as white coat hypertension , or white coat syndrome, named for the coats doctors wear. WCH occurs in about one in five people. Its not necessarily a response to being in the presence of a doctor or nurse the anxiety that some people have before and during a medical visit can trigger the syndrome.
The other condition, known as masked hypertension, is the opposite of WCH. Masked hypertension occurs when people normally have high blood pressure but it doesnt show up when measured in the doctors office.
WCH can lead to an incorrect misdiagnosis of high blood pressure and overmedication. It also may indicate that the persons blood pressure tends to rise when he or she has anxiety for other reasons. Masked hypertension, on the other hand, can prevent needed treatment for high blood pressure.
Changes in Guidelines
The researchers also discovered that many adults suffer from masked hypertension.
Home Testing
Muntner says accurate readings are important for getting the correct treatment.
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I Know This From Experience
I would never have accepted that I was a stressed person.
Yet it was only when I found a clear, peaceful mind that I realized just how tense I had been before.
It was, to be honest, an incredible feeling, that sense of mental release
And it was once Id found that calm that my blood pressure plummeted.
I Wasnt The Only One With High Blood Pressure
The thing is, I already knew of two people who had long-term high blood pressure and after years of treatments both died of complications caused by the condition.
One was my grandfather. The other was my father.
My grandfather had two strokes. The second one deprived his brain of oxygen for so long he didnt survive.
My dad died of a heart attack shortly after I graduated from college. He was 48.
My doctor had already told me there was a genetic factor in high blood pressure. I was convinced the writing was on the wall for me.
Thankfully, in the end, bad genetics didnt stop me successfully treating my blood pressure illness.
But, in the meantime, I did lose my cool with my doctor. A strong sense of hopelessness was setting in.
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