Is 136 over 96 manageable with diet and exercise?

I had a big steak and a beer before testing my blood pressure at a store machine. It read 157 over 104. Scared me to be sure so I started a daily exercise routine while eating a lot organic food especially fruit and vegetables. After 2 weeks same machine it read 136 over 96. Is this promising, too fast, not enough? I'm 39. Not overweight but do have a beer belly and don't do much exercise usually except walking and riding a bike. i usually take fish oil, garlic pills, and B12 vitamin. I think the last time I checked by blood Pressure almost a year ago it was somewhere around 120ish over 70 or 80. All I remember it was in the medium level. Anyway, any suggestions and advice welcomed.

[davetn40]

I should add that in the time leading up to when I first tested my BP at 157 over 104 my father had passed away and I was living in Tokyo when the big earthquake hit on March 11. Until I flew home, I spent one month experiencing a number of aftershocks some of which woke me up from a deep sleep. I didn't sleep alot that month nor did much physical activity.

I haven't had any dizziness and I very rarely get headaches. As I said it was a bit of a shock from previous BP checks.

[is_something_wrong]

You seem to be one of very many that worry about blood pressure during stress, and believes this blood pressure is their normal blood pressure.

When stressed or anxious, the blood pressure will increase and should increase. This is a normal reaction from the body. We didn't want our heart rate and blood pressure to be at complete rest level when a lion threatened to attack us thousands of years ago.

To your question, 136/96 is barely elevated and should of course be possible to treat with diet and exercise. Before you start anything drastic, you should go to your physician to make sure your blood pressure actually is a little elevated, or if you just get stressed when measuring, and the happening in Tokyo affected you and elevated your stress levels. A 24 hour monitoring can help determine that.

To have a BP of 157/104 with no sleep, just experienced a serious disaster and waiting for next one, is in my opinion a quite low blood pressure. I don't think you would find one person in Tokyo that didn't have elevated blood pressure in that setting.

[erijon]

I would just add one point, the BP machines you see at drug stores and grocery stores are notorious for being inaccurate. These machine are rarely if ever serviced and calibrated. They just are not reliable, you should see a doctor and get a proper reading.


Jon

[davetn40]

Thanks! On the plus side the first reading gave me the impetus to start exercising and eating better. Many times when I come home I just sit around and often eat out not getting the best of food - sports bar burgers and wings.

I was just concerned about the 96 and what I could do to naturally bring my BP to normal levels preferably 120 over 70/80.