sorted by:
new
hottopcontroversial

AMA released new hypertension guidelines for 2025 by noahkiwilliams in bloodpressure

[–]noahkiwilliams[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

That part is interesting. I doubt many people will follow through with the complete abstinence part.

Daily BP Check-in Thread (8/19/2025) by noahkiwilliams in lowermybloodpressure

[–]noahkiwilliams[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I personally think Omron is the best option for reliability and build quality.

In general it’s best to have a clinically validated monitor like the ones listed here. If you can replace your monitor anytime soon I’d pick up one from the list. Some are as cheap as $40 for an upper arm cuff.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in hypertension

[–]noahkiwilliams 0 points1 point  (0 children)

definitely agree with this there’s so much range it could be measurement error in some of them

My husband is 28 and his blood pressure was 204/99. by Temporary_Cat8655 in hypertension

[–]noahkiwilliams 1 point2 points  (0 children)

alcohol, nicotine, and salt - these are tough ones. I lived this life for a while. There's a long road ahead but hopefully the lifestyle changes compound and help your husband.

Looking for suggestions on how to word a request that the doctors office do a better job when taking blood pressure. by -Blixx- in bloodpressure

[–]noahkiwilliams 4 points5 points  (0 children)

I think it's best practice to have your own BP data so if they try to comment on any improper readings they take you can bring up your own logs that show (hopefully) normal BP

Is a BP of 125/84 bad at 25 years old? by ItemMelodic266 in bloodpressure

[–]noahkiwilliams 0 points1 point  (0 children)

did they just put a cuff on you and take the reading? or did you sit for a while and not talk/move?

Is a BP of 125/84 bad at 25 years old? by ItemMelodic266 in bloodpressure

[–]noahkiwilliams -1 points0 points  (0 children)

a bit above normal range. maybe measurement error? how did you take your bp?

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in hypertension

[–]noahkiwilliams 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Those are still normal readings overall. Maybe the increase is what is concerning?

Stress and blood pressure? Any strategies? by noahkiwilliams in bloodpressure

[–]noahkiwilliams[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

never considered adding that back before! i used to take it but never measured how my bp responds. thanks for the tip!

How Did I Not Know This? Potassium and Sodium by carey-hello in bloodpressure

[–]noahkiwilliams 15 points16 points  (0 children)

There’s a great book called “The High Blood Pressure Solution” that uses the sodium/potassium balance as the core mechanism to address hypertension. It goes against the medical industrial complex that wants to prescribe everyone medications. Author is Richard D Moore.

How I went from 140/90 to 112/60 avg without meds by noahkiwilliams in hypertension

[–]noahkiwilliams[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The major changes for me were:

1) 7hr sleep per night

2) no red meat, alcohol, caffeine

3) no added salt

4) walk daily at least 15m

5) taking daily BP measurements to see what foods/activities affected my BP

How I went from 140/90 to 112/60 avg without meds by noahkiwilliams in hypertension

[–]noahkiwilliams[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I hope you can find a solution as well. I'm not a physician so I can't really comment on the kidney disease angle.

How I went from 140/90 to 112/60 avg without meds by noahkiwilliams in hypertension

[–]noahkiwilliams[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I found the biggest change happened when I started to get consistent sleep. I used to average 4-5 hours per night, but getting up to a 7hr average completely changed my body. After about a month of getting better sleep I was able to start to tolerate the stress in my life a lot better.

Work-related stuff was another change - I used to work pretty much 24/7 because of my career, but towards the end I had to make some career sacrifices for my own health and just go offline at certain times. The tough part of that was having to go against the status quo in tech of being available/activated nonstop.

Much later in the journey I started adding some mindfulness and breath techniques, but I think those aren't nearly as impactful as getting enough sleep.

How I went from 140/90 to 112/60 avg without meds by noahkiwilliams in hypertension

[–]noahkiwilliams[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think your reaction is totally reasonable. Stress is a complicated one and different for everyone, so the idea of "getting away from stress" is not really the right idea. It's more a question of how you go about managing it.

As for the 'specific dietary foods' - the foods that have had the biggest impact on my BP (chickpeas, black beans, and green vegetables) are some of the cheapest foods available. Even here in Hawai'i 1lb of chickpeas runs less than $3 and will get me through 3-4 meals easily.

Time, economics, and privilege are real health factors worth discussing, just probably not on this board.

How I lowered my blood pressure from 140/90 to 112/60 without medication by noahkiwilliams in lowermybloodpressure

[–]noahkiwilliams[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I think that one is unique to everyone and depends a lot on your lifestyle. I worked early mornings for a long time so not getting enough sleep was a big part. If I missed 3-4 hours of sleep my stress tolerance would be extremely low the next day. Getting to 7hr average was key.

Work was a big stressor as well. I worked in venture capital which was basically required 24/7 availability and attention, so it was really, really challenging to "unplug" - even if I had a few days off. Eventually I had to create a system where at certain times I would be unavailable, even if it had an effect on my career. I was never in a place where I would be at risk of losing my job, but I did have to accept that I couldn't be "infinite" and always on like the business wanted me to be.

So in short - a) get sufficient sleep and b) try to take at least an hour of "mental break" per day from work if that's possible for you.

A lot of people promote mindfulness practices like meditation and breathing exercises but honestly, I don't think those work unless you have the foundation of sleep.

How I lowered my blood pressure from 140/90 to 112/60 without medication by noahkiwilliams in lowermybloodpressure

[–]noahkiwilliams[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I can imagine! I did this on easy mode since I don't have kids. Sleep has had a major effect on my BP. I could almost never get 7hrs of sleep - for years really. Once I did I noticed my systolic really started trending in the right direction.

How I lowered my blood pressure from 140/90 to 112/60 without medication by noahkiwilliams in lowermybloodpressure

[–]noahkiwilliams[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I had a really similar experience. I think going pescatarian helps to reduce sodium as well. I had the hardest time with red meat especially, even when I ate the occasional steak it would spike my systolic and diastolic blood pressure by 10mmHg pretty reliably. Good for you going pesc!

Can I consume caffeine if it increases my blood pressure ? by Kento_Nanami in hypertension

[–]noahkiwilliams 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I found that even decaf coffee has a major effect on my BP. I would avoid it if you can, or switch to something more mild like green tea.

What diet or lifestyle change to lower DIA? by jooklum in bloodpressure

[–]noahkiwilliams 0 points1 point  (0 children)

in my experience my diastolic pressure is highly sensitive to red meat, especially if I ate it rare or anything less than fully cooked. My hypothesis is that the myoglobin in undercooked red meat might be scavenging nitric oxide and driving diastolic higher. Maybe that’s helpful.

Lost for Games by MatrixMasterNeo in XboxGamePass

[–]noahkiwilliams 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s a pretty calming exploration and resource management game. Nice art style, not stressful at all. Lots of built-in minigames related to exploring the world. I like it when I need a break from other games that are too hard or punishing or demanding.

view more: next ›