Diagnosed with high blood pressure, at the age of 26 :(.

[MikeDVB]

Went to the doctor as I've had insomnia for a long time... I've lost jobs in the past due to not being able to sleep when I needed to and sleeping when I shouldn't be (like when I should be going to work). I've worked for myself for the last 5 years so that hasn't been so much of an issue, but an issue regardless.

Went to the doctor to discuss this and possibly get some medication to help me get to sleep / stay asleep at least until I can get a solid sleep schedule back on track. The biggest issue for me is that if I get on-track, all it takes is one server going down or having major issues in the middle of the night causing me to be awake and working and my schedule is blown to pieces.

Doctor took my blood pressure, and it read 165 over 110 which is scary high. In the past I had been told I was per-hypertensive and that I needed to watch my diet, lose some weight, etc... I've done that (lost 30 pounds) but, unfortunately, my blood pressure has gone up and not down.

I've been put on an ACE Inhibitor (forget the name off-hand) and have blood tests scheduled for a week from now to check my heart, thyroid, kidneys, etc...

Doc said it could simply due to my extreme lack of sleep (I sleep maybe 1 hour at a time, and only a few hours per day), could be generic (mother and grandmother have High BP), or it could be due to anxiety/stress - likely caused by not sleeping well.

Picked up a good BP Cuff from CVS so I can check it a few times per day to keep track as well as to see if this medication helps.

Have to say, I'm a bit shocked to find my BP where it is and the doctor made it very clear that BP this high is exceptionally dangerous.

It's a good thing I went in to see about getting something to help me sleep, who knows how much longer my body could have handled this and how much damage has already been done.

 

[churchmouse]

Not sure of your age but this needs to be dealt with.

I have a great stress reliever. It works for me but is only temporary and is a hell of a lot more fun than taking meds.

A day at the range.
Not sure of the weather this weekend but I want to go Sunday as my anxiety/stress levels need an adjustment.

 

[jballs]

My bro in law has high BP but no insomnia. He lost 30 lbs and was able to come off medication. I guess his genetic trigger is set low. I wish you the best of luck.

 

[chezuki]

Take it seriously. I didn't... stopped the meds after the refills ran out and thought I was fine. I was 26. At 31 **** got serious and I spent a week in ICU. Very scary stuff.

 

[Lucas156]

Curious how much you exercise

 

[MikeDVB]

Curious how much you exercise

At least 30 minutes every day, if not more - and that's just the exercise I actively seek (i.e. treadmill, lifting, etc). I have a pretty nice PRECOR treadmill I picked up last year as well as a good weight set so I could cancel my gym membership and still get the exercise I need.

 

[Bunnykid68]

Not sure of your age but this needs to be dealt with.

I have a great stress reliever. It works for me but is only temporary and is a hell of a lot more fun than taking meds.

A day at the range.
Not sure of the weather this weekend but I want to go Sunday as my anxiety/stress levels need an adjustment.

That is not where I thought you were going with this

 

[MikeDVB]

That is not where I thought you were going with this

Not where I thought it was going either, lol.

 

[jontheturboguy]

What's you diet look like? Physical habits?

 

[churchmouse]

Come on boy's....family oriented forum..........

 

[87iroc]

Good Luck! I have fought my weight for years and keep losing(the fight that is)...my blood pressure has started to creep up but I keep fighting. Hopefully a few tests and they can find the problem You're too young.

 

[Pinkzebraglockgirl]

I have had a bunch of problems as well along with a slightly elevated blood pressure level. Sleeping issues where i only sleep for 4-5 hrs a night and numbness and tingling, and memory loss and migraines, until I was able to get my vitamin intake regulated. I was mis-diagnosed for 18 years and was not absorbing vitamins due to celiac disease, once my diet was switched to gluten free I've lost weight and my body started absorbing vitamin b12, a, and d. My blood pressure is now perfect and I'm sleeping better because I'm
Not lacking the vitamins and numbness is 75% gone. Good luck and I hope they figure it out. I had to go to mayo clinic to have mine figured out and oh my new stress relief is 100-150 rounds of ammo shooting at the range a week :-)

 

[VoteRedTeam]

Stick to what your doc tells you and don't cancel/delay your follow-up appointments with him. Stop smoking if you do. One thing I would recommend to help sleep is Melatonin. It's natural and dirt cheap at CVS/Walgreens. Take it about an hour before you plan to go to sleep and it should help you fall asleep and stay asleep through the night.

 

[mbills2223]

DASH Diet Eating Plan

Dietary Approach to Stem Hypertension

You should take a serious look at this diet plan. Consult your doctor about it, I would bet money he/she is familiar with it.

 

[MikeDVB]

I don't smoke, rarely drink. I am overweight still but losing 3~5 pounds per week for the last 6 weeks so far.

Watching what I eat and not eating when I'm not actually hungry as well as stopping when I'm full (something that's always been hard for me).

I actually weigh less now than when I was told I was pre-hypertensive last year. I'm down to 248 and I was 270 then.

I can't really stand candy or things that are sweet - i.e. I don't eat doughnuts, swiss rolls, etc... Cook at home, baked chicken or grilled chicken more often than not, occasionally some pork chops or hamburgers. I enjoy salads, fruits, vegetables and I avoid soda. It's generally either water or unsweetened tea for me. I also avoid 'diet' sodas as they're just as bad for you if not worse... Just had around $6,000 worth of dental work done so I don't really want to erode my teeth any faster than necessary.

This morning I was 122/83 - still higher than the goal but much improved.

 

[kbailey]

I wonder if something like a CPAP machine would help your insomnia. Dad did a sleep study and they said he stopped breathing and woke up something like 170 times in several hours ... Dr put him on a CPAP and he is much more pleasant to be around since he actually sleeps at night.

 

[MikeDVB]

I wonder if something like a CPAP machine would help your insomnia. Dad did a sleep study and they said he stopped breathing and woke up something like 170 times in several hours ... Dr put him on a CPAP and he is much more pleasant to be around since he actually sleeps at night.

He put me on some medication to help me sleep as well, and I have to say last night was the best sleep I've had in a long time and I feel great today. I can't remember the last time I felt this good on any regular day.

 

[mbills2223]

Did you get an automatic BP machine or did you get yourself a cuff and stethoscope?

 

[MikeDVB]

Did you get an automatic BP machine or did you get yourself a cuff and stethoscope?

Automatic, the cuff type. I avoided the wrist type as they tend to not be very accurate.

 

[mbills2223]

Automatic, the cuff type. I avoided the wrist type as they tend to not be very accurate.

Next time you visit the Doc, I'd ask him to check your BP with his and then about 10 minutes later check it with the automatic. There can be so much play in those things outta the box! Much better than they once were though. By the way, the DASH diet I linked to is great. I dropped my systolic 20 points and my diastolic 10 in under a month, and I was only in the pre-hypertensive stage.