# High blood pressure but I'm in my 20's?



## Shinkers (Feb 5, 2014)

I went to see a doctor today about an ear infection and when they took my blood pressure, the assistant made a remark about how high it was. Sure enough, it was 165/65. She asked if it was always this high, and I said that I didn't think so and that was that. 

Truth is, I'm 24 years old and haven't really been to a doctor since I was 18 and getting a physical. I tend to think that I'm a very fit person and ride my bikes every weekend. I single speed, ride centuries, like to do 8000+ vertical rides, etc. I played football for 10 years until I graduated high school. Blood pressure has never been something I've remotely thought about. 

I'm inclined to not read much into this but thought maybe someone on here would have some insight...

Thanks.


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## bachman1961 (Oct 9, 2013)

Get a meter, self check at home to establish trends or patterns . It's often a snapshot. Not necessarily all the time thing. Keep notes like a log , check at various times of day or night, a few times a week. 
Family history or in your genes? That could speak to it being worthy of keeping a log. Labcoat bp is caused by a slightly elevated excitement of going to the Dr ofc. If somebody cut you off in traffic on the way there, it easily could have caused a temporary jump.


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## connolm (Sep 12, 2009)

Agreed. I was on the edge and my doctor urged me to buy a BP cuff on Amazon for $35. They checked the cuff for accuracy at the doctor office by getting two readings on the machine and two simultaneous reading by hand. The amazon cuff is very accurate.

I check everyday and my BP certainly varies.

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk


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## JimmyAsheville (Oct 21, 2018)

Mine will occasionally read high. There is something to that lab coat thing. Traffic, coffee, all kinds of stuff gets the motor running. Probably nothing to worry about at your age but it would be important to know if you do indeed have elevated blood pressure. If it’s high at your age you’ve got no room to “grow” with age. The meds for blood pressure are only a couple bucks by the way. It can be a high consequence condition. Heart attack, stroke, etc. loss of only a few pounds can reduce it quite a bit. My wife, an avid runner (marathons, half’s, tris etc) had elevated blood pressure and it went back to normal with the loss of only 15 pounds. Don’t ignore it!


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## bachman1961 (Oct 9, 2013)

Most advice I got after being on meds and getting to know the cuff meter thing is don't over obsess. 
I think it's typical for 'us' to learn up or read up on stuff and get overly educated. Random times and days is what was most suggested to me. I now go days or more forgetting to check it, mostly because I'm convinced I'm borderline whereas the minimal dose I'm on is sometimes more than I need giving me readings of 90/58 or mid 60's. Other times 126 /72 or 76 which was my norm -not on meds a few years ago.
Mine crept up to the occasional 140 / 85 a few years ago and that's when I got doctor'd on it. No regrets. 
I'm 58 in a few months , 5'10 and 165# mostly. Not super active but for biking.


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## bakerjw (Oct 8, 2014)

From what I've always read, the diastolic (bottom number) is the most important. That is the pressure on your arteries when the heart is between beats. 

My doctor put me on Albuterol several years ago and it spiked my BP horribly. It ended up causing some heart rhythm anomalies that we fought for a handful of years. I was on every heart rhythm and BP drug that you can imagine. I hated all of them.

I then lost a lot of weight, started riding a lot, drink a lot of water and watch my salt intake. IMHO, drinking a lot of water (gallon+ a day) helps to flush a lot of sodium out of our bodies. After the weight loss, I would get, and still experience, blood pressure crashes. That is where I stand up and get light headed.

What is your resting heart rate? The other day after taking an afternoon nap, I checked mine with my Garmin watch and it was 43.


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## In2falling (Jan 1, 2005)

Potassium plays important role in blood pressure and also salt regulation. Very hard to get the required 4 to 5 grams of daily potassium requirements on a poor diet.


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## Shinkers (Feb 5, 2014)

Thanks for the insight everybody.

I'm definitely not a super healthy eater (I eat whatever I want, whenever I feel like it) but I've always felt like I should get to do that with the amount of physical activity I do. I'm 200 lbs. at 5' 11". I know that sounds heavy, but most people tell me I look like I should be 170-180. 

I think I will look into getting a cuff and see what I average out to around home and then go from there. If it's normal I'll not worry too much about it. If it's still high, then I can make an appointment with my normal doctor.


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## bachman1961 (Oct 9, 2013)

I'd get the cuff and learn up just a teeny bit about it so you know you are interpreting this stuff in a smart and healthy way.
IMO, that's how you'll stay on top of it and not be worrying about it which will CAUSE high BP. 
Beyond that, stay fit and active or if room for improvement, seek it out. Get smart about food and nutrition or make some beneficial changes. ( I eat like you describe though.... ) 
I'm a sandwich guy but processed lunch meats are bad and knowing that stuff is the first step to avoiding it or cutting back, then replacing with better choices. 
Think about it this way and you'll end up doing better without feeling cold turkey or "It's impossible" !!


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## JimmyAsheville (Oct 21, 2018)

Shinkers said:


> Thanks for the insight everybody.
> 
> I'm definitely not a super healthy eater (I eat whatever I want, whenever I feel like it) but I've always felt like I should get to do that with the amount of physical activity I do. I'm 200 lbs. at 5' 11". I know that sounds heavy, but most people tell me I look like I should be 170-180.
> 
> I think I will look into getting a cuff and see what I average out to around home and then go from there. If it's normal I'll not worry too much about it. If it's still high, then I can make an appointment with my normal doctor.


The thing about weight and high blood pressure is that your blood vessels dont care if the pounds are muscle or fat. I would think that should you lose some weight and watch your sodium/processed foods your blood pressure would normalize. Do it now, before you're in fifty and over forum!


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## chuckha62 (Jul 11, 2006)

Okay, the first question that I'm surprised hasn't been asked... Was the nurse hot? That could explain a spike.


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## Shinkers (Feb 5, 2014)

chuckha62 said:


> Okay, the first question that I'm surprised hasn't been asked... Was the nurse hot? That could explain a spike.


Not really.

FWIW, I got the cuff and have been checking around 3 times a day randomly. I'm consistently around 120/65 so it looks like I probably won't be having a stroke any time soon. I find it crazy that white coat syndrome could cause a 45 point increase, but who knows...

Thanks for the insight and advice everyone.


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## SS Hack (Jan 20, 2012)

I've had that happen before even at that age -- some people just don't like doctors. Sounds like you're good.


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## 43st (Jan 19, 2013)

SS Hack said:


> I've had that happen before even at that age -- some people just don't like doctors. Sounds like you're good.


Yeah, but that diet is going to catch up to him in another few years. Exercise does not absolve a poor diet, a lot of us have been down that road.


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## Dr Evil (Sep 20, 2015)

Sometimes even just going to a doctors office can raise your blood pressure. It's referred to as "White coat syndrome." Just because you are fit doesn't mean you are healthy. Fitness is part of being healthy but not a replacement. If pressure is high there is an underlying reason. High blood pressure is a physiological response due to something. It is best to address the root cause instead of the effect. Not saying this is your issue but my MIL had high blood pressure most of her adult life. She was on meds for 25 years that "controlled" it. She wasn't overweight, didn't smoke, didn't eat too terribly, etc. Well, turns out she had a tumor on her adrenal gland that was causing an increase in adrenaline which in turn raised her pressure. Sadly she passed away 7 years ago at 69 because of it. So you see, I have tremendous disdain for the typical medical approach. Again, not saying this to scare you. Just want to emphasize the need to pay attention to what the body is trying to tell you and not to treat symptoms.


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## armii (Jan 9, 2016)

165 was high for the top number, but like has been said, the bottom number is the (slightly) more important number. For most people anything under 85 on the bottom number is not dangerous. My pressure was 135/85 for many years when I was younger, genetically high inherited from my mother, and the doc just said we just needed to watch it.

When I hit my late 40s it started going up and when it hit 160/90 they put me on blood pressure meds to get it back down. Basically as long as the bottom number was under 90 he wasn't that worried. He got it down to 120/70. I'm now 62 and it is creeping back up again, but as long as it is not regularly over that 145/85 the doc doesn't see a need to increase my meds.

Of course everyone is different, and part of the reason the doc may not have been as worried about the medium high pressure when I was young is because my other vitals were all well within normal range and my bad cholesterol was extremely low


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## MtbRN (Jun 8, 2006)

One elevated blood pressure does not mean a thing. Your BP varies throughout the day depending on what is going on with you. Like several posters have said, White Coat hypertension is a real thing, but you can also get a high BP from pain, stress (such as an infection or a bad day at work), too much salt in your diet, or even because the person checking your BP didn't let you sit quietly for 2-5 minutes before checking it! 

Good on you for getting a home cuff. That is the best way to know if it is just a one-time thing or a regular occurrence.

And, BOTH numbers are important. Jeez people, if you don't know then ask Dr Google. Don't MSU.


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## armii (Jan 9, 2016)

Just a quick note, drinking anything carbonated can add to raising blood pressure.


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## ehayes (Jun 25, 2019)

How much alcohol do you drink?

I have mildly high BP (43 yrs old, non smoker, 155 lbs, 5' 11"). I find my BP goes down a bit when I don't drink as much. It takes a couple weeks to see a result. This is when I go from ~2 drinks a day to just a couple per week. 

I would also highly suggest a better diet and possibly weight lose. Do it while you are in your 20s. 

Good luck.


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## Mtbvkk (Sep 13, 2017)

I broke my finger last year biking and when I went in they said the same thing. After research I decided to get a sleep Apnea study done, I found I have super high apnea which was contributing to blood pressure. After being on the cpap my blood pressure returned to normal.


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## Idawho (May 8, 2020)

Shinkers said:


> Not really.
> 
> FWIW, I got the cuff and have been checking around 3 times a day randomly. I'm consistently around 120/65 so it looks like I probably won't be having a stroke any time soon. I find it crazy that white coat syndrome could cause a 45 point increase, but who knows...
> 
> Thanks for the insight and advice everyone.


You said you had an ear infection. That could raise BP. If you were taking Advil, that can increase things as well. I had a scare like that last year and it was likely due to coffee on an empty stomach and was taking Advil sinus and cold which has pseudoephedrine. I got a cuff and check regularly. Good thing to keep an eye on.


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