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Blood Pressure: Mountain, Molehill?

My BP fluctuates all the time during the day.

I took these 3 readings in an evening after sitting comfortably relaxed for a couple of hours using my PC. Each taken 5 minutes apart.
138/66 (full bladder!)
118/59
122/67

I have to remember to sit up straight, arm in correct position and with my legs uncrossed. (The latter is most important)

According to my on-line records, the maximum desirable for a diabetic appears to be 140/80
 
Kristin251 said:
This might answer a few questions...

https://www.huffingtonpost.com/dr-mark-hyman/quit-coffee_b_1598108.html
Click to expand...

Wow, that was really interesting, thanks! I must be really addicted, because simply reading about the "velvety aroma and promise of energy from that caffeine jolt" led me to walk over to sniff the coffee on my wife's desk....

One of the many interesting things in that article is that coffee is much more than just caffeine....

(Edited to remove accidental double entendre that was in doubtful taste.)
 
Guzzler said:
Just to be awkward.... I am trying to switch from white tea to decaf creamed coffee. I am struggling, though as decaf with cream is just like drinking mud!
Click to expand...

Oh dear, we have to agree to disagree on this one! ;) It is my go-to comfort food, but only one a day. Ordinary tea is my drink.
 
Grateful said:
Wow, that was really interesting, thanks! I must be really addicted, because simply reading about the "velvety aroma and promise of energy from that caffeine jolt" led me to walk over to my wife and sniff her coffee....

One of the many interesting things in that article is that coffee is much more than just caffeine....
Click to expand...
Lol. And she thought you were smelling her perfume unless of course your nose was in her cup!

I found that article a year or so ago and it’s always in the back of my head. I try to eat as nutritionally as possible and I can’t find any nutrition in coffee. Haha. If you really struggle try decaf in times of need. That should give you the dark warm bitter you love, with a little caffeine. But decaf to me is gross ( other than Nespresso crema) so I’d never finish the whole cup. But only in dire times!!!
 
Bluetit1802 said:
Oh dear, we have to agree to disagree on this one! ;) It is my go-to comfort food, but only one a day. Ordinary tea is my drink.
Click to expand...

Ah yes but I have put on 3lbs! So the result is good and I may get used to the erm... mud ;)
 
Rachox said:
I read this with interest, but lost all faith when it invited me to click the link to take a quiz to see how toxic I am and it took me to a page selling stuff! :mad:
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I guess I never clicked the link but I have seen each and every one of their points in other places.
And I know coffee raises my bg, especially in the morning.
It also mimics insulin so that would make sense as well.
 
Grateful said:
One of the things that was mentioned by, possibly, @Brunneria is that it might not be the caffeine that is spiking BP, but just coffee in general. I don't quite understand that because coffee seems to consist of almost nothing except caffeine. Tea, to some extent, is the same nutritionally speaking?
Click to expand...

Tea has roughly half the caffeine as coffee. I do not avoid caffeine for its possible effects on bg but because it is a trigger for an otherwise unrelated condition.
 
Kristin251 said:
I guess I never clicked the link but I have seen each and every one of their points in other places.
And I know coffee raises my bg, especially in the morning.
It also mimics insulin so that would make sense as well.
Click to expand...

I am beginning to wonder whether there is anything in my life that did not contribute to insulin resistance. I mean, the more I read about T2D, I am amazed I didn't have IR in the womb!:playful:
 
Kristin251 said:
I guess I never clicked the link but I have seen each and every one of their points in other places.
And I know coffee raises my bg, especially in the morning.
It also mimics insulin so that would make sense as well.
Click to expand...
I just looked back over several weeks of blood sugar readings for breakfast time. I always have the same breakfast low carb coconut porridge, strawberries and cream washed down with a coffee. Pre breakfast to post breakfast readings are up by a maximum of 0.5mmols/l but often down by 0.3mmols/l so I don’t think the caffeine is affecting my blood sugars, but forewarned is forearmed if I start seeing bigger rises.
 
Grateful said:
I am beginning to wonder whether there is anything in my life that did not contribute to insulin resistance. I mean, the more I read about T2D, I am amazed I didn't have IR in the womb!:playful:
Click to expand...
Yup. It’s a mountain!!
I eat a very insulin sensative diet and now using insulin I can clearly see what requires more or less insulin. Even more information. The disease that never stops giving!
 
Rachox said:
I just looked back over several weeks of blood sugar readings for breakfast time. I always have the same breakfast low carb coconut porridge, strawberries and cream washed down with a coffee. Pre breakfast to post breakfast readings are up by a maximum of 0.5mmols/l but often down by 0.3mmols/l so I don’t think the caffeine is affecting my blood sugars, but forewarned is forearmed if I start seeing bigger rises.
Click to expand...
As an insulin user I need a bit more insulin most days for coffee. I’ve reduced the dose since quitting. Another case of we are all different.

After thinking about it was the link to Techinno? That’s a coffee substitute but doesn’t negate their claims on coffee. If you google each individually ( not worth the time) you’ll see they do correlate with their claims.

I was an avid coffee drinker until almost two weeks ago so I completely understand. It must just have been ‘my time’ as it wasn’t tasting as good and I was feeling off. I’ve known forever it was t my friend but simply pushed the ignore button. It can’t be helping my bp either.
 
Kristin251 said:
I was an avid coffee drinker until almost two weeks ago so I completely understand. It must just have been ‘my time’ as it wasn’t tasting as good and I was feeling off. I’ve known forever it was t my friend but simply pushed the ignore button. It can’t be helping my bp either.
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I hope I can tolerate coffee for a while yet as I believe Santa is bringing me the new Nespresso Virtuo for Xmas! It makes black coffees with a really thick crema on top. Frothy coffee with no carbs!
 
Kristin251 said:
The disease that never stops giving!
Click to expand...

I am only just beginning to realize that. Even though my T2D "case" turned out to be very standard, and so far, easily "reversible" with diet. But, if only for selfish reasons, getting as much education as possible about the possible future course of the disease is valuable; also very interesting, in an odd kind of way.

I have been a big coffee addict my whole adult life. In particular, I spent much of the last 20 years doing in-house software development. This is a nightmare from a health point of view because it tends to be done in very long, sometimes overnight, sessions of totally sedentary work. My go-to pick-up was endless cups of coffee, all of them with milk and white sugar.

Since the diagnosis I have tried to break this cycle, with some success. Obviously the milk and sugar are gone, and fortunately there hasn't been much in the way of software development to do this year. I am sleeping much better, partly because of stepped-up exercise. But I noticed that not only was I still drinking lots of coffee, it had actually increased somewhat.

I did not need a BP monitor to know that the coffee has an effect. I can feel my heart racing after a cup. The BP readings are just a confirmation, really. Still not definitive, but common sense is telling me that it might well be time to either cut out the coffee, or at least moderate it greatly.
 
Rachox said:
I hope I can tolerate coffee for a while yet as I believe Santa is bringing me the new Nespresso Virtuo for Xmas! It makes black coffees with a really thick crema on top. Frothy coffee with no carbs!
Click to expand...
That’s the ONLY coffee I drank since May. Every other tastes like junk. We loved the vanilla and intenso. And the decaf is actually great. The only part I miss is the crema. Look for a tall narrow cup as you’ll get much thicker crema

I would drink one in the morning and make another. Eat the crema and refrigerate and put ice in it for iced coffee. Best coffee ever

The espresso was rock gut. Haha. Made us both nauseous but quite the. Energy hit
 
Day One: No coffee blood-pressure experiment.

140/90 at 8:30 a.m. before eating any food.
137/84 at 9:30 a.m. half an hour after breakfast.
139/93 at 10:30 a.m.
127/79 at 1:30 p.m. half an hour after lunch

That post-lunch reading is (overall) the lowest I have had, since obtaining the BP monitor nearly a week ago. It is close to the "normal" reading that will satisfy the American Heart Association (namely, lower than 120/80).

Haven't had any exercise today, will soon be going out for the regular 3-mile walk and will test again, about an hour after getting home.

Like @Bluetit1802 it is clear that my BP fluctuates quite a lot during the day, but the no-coffee figures are suggestive nevertheless, when compared with the coffee-fueled numbers I posted earlier in this thread. I think it will take several days of no-coffee to be sure.:eek::eek:
 
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