I have a slightly high blood pressure (usually around 145/80 sometimes it is 135/75-80) and I am wondering if I am missing a key nutrient in my vegetarian diet. I have had a look around on the net and asked people for advice etc...and I know I am doing at least most things right (eating plently of fruit and veg, low salt, exercising) but it hasn't made much of a difference. I do suffer from a bit of stress every now and then mainly due to my job but again I wouldn't have thought it would make huge difference.
Just out of curiosity, how often do you monitor your bp? Do you take it yourself or at a doctor's office and is it taken at roughly the same time each reading?. If it's done at a doctor's office, has the reason you've been there something that could cause stress?
Just from my own experiences, I have low normal bp normally but, depending on where and when it's taken and how stressful the reason I'm having it done is, it can fluctuate quite a lot. I definitely have 'white coat syndrome' so having it done in a doctor's office probably contributes to some weird readings.
Just out of curiosity, how often do you monitor your bp? Do you take it yourself or at a doctor's office and is it taken at roughly the same time each reading?. If it's done at a doctor's office, has the reason you've been there something that could cause stress?
Just from my own experiences, I have low normal bp normally but, depending on where and when it's taken and how stressful the reason I'm having it done is, it can fluctuate quite a lot. I definitely have 'white coat syndrome' so having it done in a doctor's office probably contributes to some weird readings.
I also have 'white coat syndrome'. At the doctors office my BP is usually around 160/80. I measure my BP at home and tend to measure it on a Sunday morning just after I wake up but also on a saturday at some point during the day.
Have you considered taking up a meditation regimen to try and regulate your blood pressure? Apparently in this study, two-thirds of the people involved experienced lower blood pressure from meditation therapy: http://www.npr.org/templates/story/s...oryId=93796200
I meditate regularly (as a Buddhist) and I always have normal or low-normal blood pressure, even though I sometimes do things like make a meal out of a bloomin' onion.
Your blood pressure isn't highly elevated. Most probably you can reduce it by stress control. Meditating or using a relaxation technique like Progressive Muscle Relaxation after Jacobson might help.
Thank you all for your posts. I will have to try meditation. My brother has kept telling me that I should do yoga and meditation on a regular basis and my slightly high bp could be simply down to a bit more stress in my life these days.
I'm not sure if it's the same for regular high blood pressure, because I had gestational hypertension - but my midwives said I was a bit low on protein, and when I upped the protein, my blood pressure came down. That might be something unique to pregnancy though.
Thank you all for your posts. I will have to try meditation. My brother has kept telling me that I should do yoga and meditation on a regular basis and my slightly high bp could be simply down to a bit more stress in my life these days.
Listen to your brother. i do yoga regularly and I can't recommend it highly enough. It really does wonderful things for a person's mental, physical and emotional health.
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Related Threads
?
?
?
?
?
VeggieBoards
3.4M posts
73.3K members
Since 2001
A forum community dedicated to vegetarian, vegans, and vegetable enthusiasts. Come join the discussion about agriculture, preparation, cooking, recipes, scales, reviews, accessories, classifieds, and more!