Blood Pressure Averages: from lowest hourly averages to highest hourly averages.
I've now recorded my blood pressure over 27,000 times since 1998, or an average of 7 times per day. I just ran an interesting report, comparing my current, healthy blood pressure, over the past 12 months (2008-2009), with a previous 12 month's (2002-2003) unhealthy 12 months.
From the following table, it can be seen that in 2002, when my blood pressure was at unhealthy levels, my lowest hourly averages of the day were at 9am (141/90), 10am (142/91) and 12pm (145/93); and the highest hours were at 10pm (163/102), 9pm (161/102) and 8pm (160/101).
Currently, with very healthy blood pressure levels, my lowest hourly averages are at 7am (112/66), 8am (115/69) and 9am (120/71); and the highest are at 5pm (131/77), 7pm (131/77) and 3pm (131/76).
The times are military, so you need to subtract 12 from hours 13 through 24, for 1pm through 12am.
I thought that others might find unique blood pressure info like this interesting. Any questions or comments about trends, or things about the averages that are surprising or unexpected?
--- (2008-2009) ------------- (2002-2003)
Hour=7 112/66; ------ Hour=9 141/90
Hour=8 115/69; ------ Hour=10 142/91
Hour=9 120/71; ------ Hour=12 145/93
Hour=10 121/71; ------ Hour=3 145/96
Hour=3 121/70; ------ Hour=2 147/92
Hour=5 122/71; ------ Hour=8 147/93
Hour=6 123/70; ------ Hour=11 147/94
Hour=4 123/71; ------ Hour=4 148/96
Hour=2 123/70; ------ Hour=17 149/94
Hour=21 124/72; ------ Hour=13 149/97
Hour=11 124/73; ------ Hour=18 149/94
Hour=23 124/71; ------ Hour=14 150/96
Hour=24 125/71; ------ Hour=16 150/94
Hour=1 125/70; ------ Hour=24 151/98
Hour=20 125/73; ------ Hour=1 153/98
Hour=22 125/72; ------ Hour=19 153/96
Hour=12 126/74; ------ Hour=15 153/95
Hour=14 127/75; ------ Hour=6 153/100
Hour=13 128/75; ------ Hour=23 156/99
Hour=18 128/76; ------ Hour=5 157/102
Hour=16 129/77; ------ Hour=7 160/102
Hour=15 131/76; ------ Hour=20 160/101
Hour=19 131/77; ------ Hour=21 161/102
Hour=17 131/77; ------ Hour=22 163/102
* Table starts with lowest hourly averages and ends with the highest hourly averages. The bp readings on the left are from the 2008 time period, the readings on the right are from the 2002 time period.
Re: Blood Pressure Averages: from lowest hourly averages to highest hourly averages.
Interesting. I have the same fluctuations as you, lowest as soon as i wake up then it just gets higher. Is that the norm though macheon? Do even people with high BP usually always have low bp as soon as waking? or is it high for some.
Re: Blood Pressure Averages: from lowest hourly averages to highest hourly averages.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lourage
Do even people with high BP usually always have low bp as soon as waking? or is it high for some.
Lourage, you asked an interesting question. I looked back at my first post, and saw something that I hadn't noticed before you asked this question. Thanks for asking! My first post shows an interesting occurrence, which might offer more questions than answers to your question!
If you look closely at my data...... When my blood pressure was at unhealthy levels, my 5am through 7am readings were among my highest of the day. Now that my blood pressure is at healthy levels, my 5am through 7am readings are among the lowest of the day.
Re: Blood Pressure Averages: from lowest hourly averages to highest hourly averages.
Damn, so if you think about it when your BP was uncontrolled, your Bp was probably even high while you were sleeping? which is scary if you think about since, our BP naturally rises during REM sleep. Unless it just spiked up first thing when you woke up? So i guess people with high BP have it start out high in the morning, it lowers, then rasies again towards the night. While people who have it under controlled it's low in the morning and gradually rises.
Come to think of it, my BP has NOT spiked at all fist thing in the morning since being on medication. YET the propranolol should be out of my system by the time i wake up, yet my BP is always low in the morning ( unless i've had a few beers the night before) Whats weird though is i always feel like my BP is high first thing in the morning, or when i'm laying down, i think it's all psychological though.
I want to get a sleep study done, but i can't even fall asleep at home, no way i'd be able to fall asleep for one of those.
also you hear about this new "poly" pill? 5 meds in one ro something. it was in my paper, different beta blockers, aspirin and cholesterol or something along those lines
Re: Blood Pressure Averages: from lowest hourly averages to highest hourly averages.
lourage, until I got my BP under control. I would go to bed with a bp of 185/105. I would sleep thinking it would be lower in the moring and wake up and it would be higher! yes it is scary. but this was after a csection and I was in pain all night and my hormones were insane.
but now it is controlled, it's really low in the mornings. now it's around 97/68
Re: Blood Pressure Averages: from lowest hourly averages to highest hourly averages.
Thats scary. Hope i wont need a c section anytime soon it's weird though and i'm not sure this applies to you guys, but i would often think that the reason my BP is so low in the morning is cause i'm not up long enough to worry about it lol. Like i forget all about it for those few minutes.
What is a tilt test and what is the point of it?Macheon did you ever have a tilt test done? is it too see if when laying down your BP rises to high numbers, or is it more of a circulation test?
Re: Blood Pressure Averages: from lowest hourly averages to highest hourly averages.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lourage
Damn, so if you think about it when your BP was uncontrolled, your Bp was probably even high while you were sleeping?
I would presume that, for healthy people, the blood pressure falls during sleep, along with the heart rate. For those with immune system disorders, or other health problems, I wonder if the blood pressure is high during sleep? Might take a little research.
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Come to think of it, my BP has NOT spiked at all fist thing in the morning since being on medication. YET the propranolol should be out of my system by the time i wake up, yet my BP is always low in the morning ( unless i've had a few beers the night before)
Even if most of the Propanolol might be out of your system by morning, the effects from it last much longer.
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Whats weird though is i always feel like my BP is high first thing in the morning, or when i'm laying down, i think it's all psychological though.
That's an interesting comment. What types of symptoms do you get when lying down, or first thing in the morning?
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I want to get a sleep study done, but i can't even fall asleep at home, no way i'd be able to fall asleep for one of those.
There's got to be some nights that you have a good night's sleep. Do you always have problems falling asleep? How much sleep to you get each night? How long do you stay asleep?
I'm up about every two hours during the night for a potty run. I'm approaching 70 years, and drink a lot of coffee and tea, so I pay the price during the night. Fortunately, I can fall asleep within a minute or two after lying back down.
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also you hear about this new "poly" pill? 5 meds in one ro something. it was in my paper, different beta blockers, aspirin and cholesterol or something along those lines
I think that it is a bunch of hooey, for profit making purposes. It does make compliance a little easier, but opens the door to all kinds of problems with interactions with other drugs, foods and drinks.
Personally, I find Coreg to be a "poly" pill. It is wonderful, healing medication. I consider Coreg a medical miracle. I cannot believe the curative effects it is having on my health. Coreg is the main force behind the recent rapid improvement in my quality of life and overall health. What a wonderful, WONDERFUL medication!!!
Re: Blood Pressure Averages: from lowest hourly averages to highest hourly averages.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Machaon
That's an interesting comment. What types of symptoms do you get when lying down, or first thing in the morning?
There's got to be some nights that you have a good night's sleep. Do you always have problems falling asleep? How much sleep to you get each night? How long do you stay asleep?
I remember seeing a video about sleeping and they said your BP rises when your in the last mode of sleep, otherwise it stays low i think.
Symptoms i get i the morning or when laying down is just that feeling of stress, and feeling like warm water is flowing through my blood, tightness in neck, weird tingling when i shake my head from side to side, ears get hot.
lol nah i haven't slept through the night going on a year now. takes me hours to fall asleep, and then when i do i'm up again like every hour on the hour. A good nights sleep for me is 3-4 hours uninterrupted sleep.
Re: Blood Pressure Averages: from lowest hourly averages to highest hourly averages.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lourage
Whats weird though is i always feel like my BP is high first thing in the morning, or when i'm laying down, i think it's all psychological though.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Lourage
Symptoms i get i the morning or when laying down is just that feeling of stress, and feeling like warm water is flowing through my blood, tightness in neck, weird tingling when i shake my head from side to side, ears get hot.
If you have some kind of immune disorder, your "psychological" problems and your blood pressure problems and your sleep problems, could all be being caused by over-stimulation of your adrenals, and/or other glands. If your adrenals are constantly pumping chemicals (hormones) like adrenaline, it could cause a number of health problems, like anxiety, tingling, numbness, difficulty falling asleep, etc.
Re: Blood Pressure Averages: from lowest hourly averages to highest hourly averages.
Yea thats what my neprhrologist though too, thought i might have pheochromcytoma ( spelling?) My adrenal glands were fine. Even my cardiologist said that my kidneys looked "beautiful" and that my heart is strong and that i[m going to live a long life with it.
But thats exactly what it feels like, like a rush of adrenaline. Which makes me think an alpha/beta blocker might be better instead of the propranolol. I tried labetalolol, but when i switched from the metoprolol my bp went up for a few days and it didn't lower it. But then when i started the propranolol my BP went down. I just hate the thought of switching my beta blocker again. especially now that i know my BP spike is strictly caused from my anxiety. I was just put on zoloft though yesterday, so i'll see if that gets my anxiety under control.
Re: Blood Pressure Averages: from lowest hourly averages to highest hourly averages.
Well I do have a immune disorder. Not sure if it affects my BP. Not everyone with my illness has BP issues. But after all 3 deliveries my blood pressure shot up like mad within a week after I gave birth. maybe hormones or post surgery? hard to know what caused it spike. but I have had BP issues ever since. just gets worse with each kid I have.
I also get tingling now when I lie down.. thats starting to bother me a lot. mostly in the hands or feet.
Re: Blood Pressure Averages: from lowest hourly averages to highest hourly averages.
Another interesting statistic, gleaned from the numbers, is that for the entire year of 2002, my blood pressure averaged 151/96. Every hour, every day, every week, every month for the entire year, I suffered from an average bp around 151/96. That was pretty nasty, especially considering that I was also suffering from worsening heart failure.
Looking further at the data, my average blood pressure for 8pm, 9pm and 10pm was over 160/100! This was for every day, for the entire year! Plus, my bp was just as bad for all of the following year, 2003.
Why did I bring this up? Well...... it is an example of how much abuse one's body can take without keeling over. I'll have to admit that I was lucky that I didn't stroke out, or suffer sudden death, prior to 2006. Finally, during 2004, my health and symptoms got so miserable and nasty, that I had to make some drastic changes. Some of us have hard, thick skulls, and we refuse to make any changes to our diet or lifestyle until we are forced to. I was forced to. I had little choice.
Re: Blood Pressure Averages: from lowest hourly averages to highest hourly averages.
My Dad had his first heart attack at 30, waaaaaaay before I was even born. he kept having heart attacks and high bp. Since he has had 4 open heart surgeries and today he is fine and 78. He has always been very active but never dwelled on his health. i think it's all in the attitude.
Now he is told he has some calcifacation and nothing muich they can do. Yet he got remarried and traveling all over.
He never takes his BP unless it's at his doctors. he chooses to live and not fear being sick all the time. Can't argue with that.
Re: Blood Pressure Averages: from lowest hourly averages to highest hourly averages.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Machaon
Why did I bring this up? Well...... it is an example of how much abuse one's body can take without keeling over.
I admire you man. I wish i could take what you say and just not worry, but i am so crazy in the head with this stuff lol. I have OCD so bad with this now. A few years ago i couldn't care less, and i didn't even think about blood pressure and i went to the doctor like once every 3 years. LOL now i'm there every 2 weeks trying new anxiety medication, getting random tests after tests and it's really wearing me thin.
I just fear a stroke so much. NO one in my family ever suffered one, but that doesn't make me think it wont happen to me. heck, no one else in my family has anxiety disorder, yet i do, so i don't buy into the "in your genes" stuff most of the time. I'm not scared of dying, what scares me is having a stroke, I'd be good just peeling over, but strokes can be the nastiest things ever and i don't want to go blind/ be paralysed or any of that, i'd rather just have one and die. I know it's out of my hands, but damn. it's like i feel like i'm waiting for it to happen, yet i'm 28 years old.
Re: Blood Pressure Averages: from lowest hourly averages to highest hourly averages.
Interesting post, indeed!
What I am most interested in are the nighttime blood pressure trends. I have been wondering whether you are a dipper or a non-dipper. As can be clearly seen from 2008/9 data, you are only a marginal dipper now, while in 2002 you were a non-dipper without any decreases in nighttime blood pressure.
I was also a non-dipper and probably still am. The reason I know this is because I used to have sleepless nights due to insomnia from a bedtime dose of beta blockers, blood pressure spikes, acid reflux flareups and other issues. So, I took frequent blood pressure readings for something to do. For some reason, my blood pressure would be at its highest in the evenings, remaining unchanged through the night. I don't have that problem anymore. It is now quite low. I wish I could measure my nighttime blood pressure. I don't think it is possible without ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, or staying up all night. It would be interesting to closely follow one's blood pressure trends through those early morning hours. I hope I am still a non-dipper, given the low readings I get these days. As you mentioned in another post, the late night/early morning data have been compiled from fewer blood pressure readings than the remaining hours in the database. They are a fair representation of your nighttime blood pressure, regardless.
I have a book about circadian rhythm and its effect on blood pressure both in healthy people and in people with chronic conditions, which I still have not fully read. I got the book hoping it would shed some light on my bizzare blood pressure variations. It is very interesting as far as I could tell. I should find it and read it one of these days.
Do you think that calcium channel blockers-or other bp medication, taken late at night -about 10:00p.m.-can make the blood pressure drop further in a non-dipper? Scary thought. My blood pressure is low both at bedtime (12:00p.m.) and when I wake up (5:00-6:00), so I can't tell.
flowergirl
Last edited by flowergirl2day; 04-01-2009 at 10:06 PM.
Re: Blood Pressure Averages: from lowest hourly averages to highest hourly averages.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Flutterbye77
You bring this up every 2 weeks.
As you can tell, I find HealthBoards to be a very helpful and enjoyable forum. It's great that we have a place to share our ideas and experiences, and learn from the experiences of others, isn't it?
As an example of feedback that further motivates me, following is the link to a thread entitled: Machaon- Such Inspiration [url]http://www.healthboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=630057[/url]
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what it boils down to is you have many chorionic illness's according to your sig.
I had been battling against Asthma, Allergies, Tachycardia and immune system dysfunction all my life, and against Heart Failure, Chronically High Blood Pressure, Persistent Atrial Fibrillation, Insulin Resistance and Pre-Diabetes for well over twenty years; and I am doing GREAT!!!
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So you have a lot going on and you're scared.
I'll have to admit. Back in 2003 and 2004, as my blood pressure statistics bear out, I "was" scared. I was very scared. Looking at the data, my average blood pressure for 8pm, 9pm and 10pm was over 160/100! This was for every day, for the entire year! That would scare anybody!
It took fear of dying, or worse, for me to get it through my thick skull that I needed to change my diet and lifestyle. I needed to put down the six-pack of beer, and the chicken wings, and the french fries dipped in melted cheddar cheese, and the pizzas, and the potato chips, etc., and eat right!
Right now, I am doing so well, and feel so good, and have so much energy that fear is no longer a factor. I feel great and I LOVE COREG!!!
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you changed yur diet and you exercise and t helped. that's pretty standard with every illness out there.
I am happy to hear that you think that the chronic illnesses of others have been cured through diet and exercise. That is what motivates me to keep posting about exercise and diet, and my own personal experiences. Being able to help just one other person, through HealthBoards, is quite a reward for posting, isn't it!
If my detailed, elaborate blood pressure statistics, which exist nowhere else on the Internet, can be of use to anyone else, it is well worth the time and trouble involved in gathering, manipulating, formatting and posting the data.
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Taking bp 27,000 times didn't make a difference and really impossible to know how accurate it is.
Keeping a close track on my blood pressure, over the past 10+ years, has not only greatly improved my quality of life, but has saved me from debilitating diseases, which have high rates of death. Why not share the results with others?
As an example of how my intensive blood pressure monitoring has helped, refer to my thread from four years ago, entitled Does an "Insulin Resistance" diet improve blood pressure? @ [url]http://www.healthboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=242229[/url]
The very first post states that, at that time, I had taken my blood pressure 15,000 times. So....... at 27,000+ now, you can see that I've been busy!
Another example of how much knowledge and help I have gotten out of close monitoring of my blood pressure is another thread called: The four essential steps, that I've taken, that help me live with Heart Failure @ [url]http://www.healthboards.com/boards/showthread.php?t=641933[/url]
Re: Blood Pressure Averages: from lowest hourly averages to highest hourly averages.
Quote:
Originally Posted by flowergirl2day
Interesting post, indeed!
What I am most interested in are the nighttime blood pressure trends. I have been wondering whether you are a dipper or a non-dipper. As can be clearly seen from 2008/9 data, you are only a marginal dipper now, while in 2002 you were a non-dipper without any decreases in nighttime blood pressure.
If you take a closer look at the data, you will see that, currently, I am definitely a dipper. The dipping seems marginal since the blood pressure levels are at healthy levels, but there is an obvious decrease in blood pressure during the late evening and early morning hours.
You are right that I "was" a non-dipper. In fact, that finding, back then, that my blood pressure, not only didn't dip, but went up late at night, and the subsequent research led me to figure out that I was Insulin Resistant, and started me on the Insulin Resistant diet that I documented on Healthboards in Jan 2005. That finding alone made all my efforts, of closely tracking my blood pressure, worthwhile. The thread's title was Does an "Insulin Resistance" diet improve blood pressure?, which was, in part, a question and, in part, anecdotal.
It took me about three years of a very strict ~1500 calorie diet, before I noticed a significant improvement in my Insulin Resistance (Pre-Diabetes). During that time, I asked on the Diabetes Forum, how long it takes to recover from Insulin Resistance, and "if" one could ever recover from Insulin Resistance. For three long years, I faithfully followed that diet. Every time I "fell off the wagon" and consumed more than 1500 calories, I would have breathing problems, heart rhythm problems, blood pressure problems, etc., especially at night.
Now...... I am going through rapid improvement. I can eat much more without any negative effects. My blood sugar is always at healthy levels. My blood pressure has gone up due to the increased diet, but is still at reasonably healthy levels. For instance, last year my blood pressure was averaging about 123/72 at this time of year, and this year, due to my increased caloric intake, it is averaging about 129/74. It is still dipping at night. I can exercise more, lift more weights, concentrate better, am far less tired, and I feel very good almost all of the time.
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I was also a non-dipper and probably still am.
How your body handles Insulin is extremely important. If the body does not process Insulin effectively it causes all kinds of nasty things to happen in the body, including damage to organs, glands, nerves, muscles, bones, etc.
A balanced, small meal, reasonable calorie, frequent feeding diet acts as an extremely powerful "medicine", and can reverse, or improve, many debilitating health problems, IMHO.
I need to stop, so I will post this, and then address the rest of your post later, after I return.
Re: Blood Pressure Averages: from lowest hourly averages to highest hourly averages.
Hi,
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How your body handles Insulin is extremely important. If the body does not process Insulin effectively it causes all kinds of nasty things to happen in the body, including damage to organs, glands, nerves, muscles, bones, etc.
What a coincidence that you should comment on the importance of insulin handling. I read a chapter in one of my books this morning about the effects of hypertension and high cholesterol on CHD, and the challenges of managing hypertension when several metabolic conditions overlap. There were sections about the effect of antihypertensive medication on dysglycemia, (fasting glucose >110mg/dl), dyslipidemia (which can be exacerbated by worsened insulin resistance via beta blocker and thiazide diuretic use, and diabetogenic antihypertensive medications - those that cause diabetes (beta blockers and thiazides). It is a very interesting topic. Bottom line: achieving blood pressure targets is more beneficial in the short term than the risk of metabolic disorders from the antihypertensives in the long term. Hmmmm.... I hope they are right.......
I take a beta blocker, a thiazide diuretic and will soon be adding Lasix - a loop diuretic. These drugs are known to affect blood glucose, insulin resistance and lipid metabolism. Given the use of these insulin/glucose level altering drugs, is it even possible to reduce the insulin resistance and glucose levels? Were you taking any of the above drugs when following the insulin resistance diet?
Last edited by flowergirl2day; 04-02-2009 at 11:15 PM.
Re: Blood Pressure Averages: from lowest hourly averages to highest hourly averages.
Quote:
Originally Posted by flowergirl2day
Were you taking any of the above drugs when following the insulin resistance diet?
I was on a bunch of meds, including Lasix. I have gotten rid of my Ace Inhibitor, my CCB, Lasix, my Cholesterol Med, etc. I only take Coreg, Digoxin and Warfarin.
Now that Coreg is working it's magic, I am not longer following the small meal, low calorie diet. I love being able to eat more like a normal person. AND........ I have been experiencing rapid improvements in my health.
As I approach my 70th year, I attribute the catalyst to my much better health to my close tracking of my blood pressure over the past 10+ years, which acted as my guide to diet changes, exercise and discovering the things that trigger higher blood pressure, heart rhythm disturbances, fatigue and other aspects of malaise.
The "triggers" that cause malfunction of the immune system, and that had caused my health to get worse are the same triggers that effect anyone with immune system problems, such as sufferers of MS, CFS, Fibro, Lupus, and also anyone who is suffering from organ, gland or nerve damage. Anyone with almost any health problem can see significant improvement to their health by avoiding the same common, unhealthy "triggers" that I learned to avoid. The medical industry probably does not "advertise" these triggers because it is a lot more profitable to sell expensive medication and expensive tests and treatment, rather than telling patients to avoid these unhealthy, immune system "triggers".
it's weird though and i'm not sure this applies to you guys, but i would often think that the reason my BP is so low in the morning is cause i'm not up long enough to worry about it lol. Like i forget all about it for those few minutes.
As you mentioned in another post, the late night/early morning data have been compiled from fewer blood pressure readings than the remaining hours in the database. They are a fair representation of your nighttime blood pressure, regardless.
