Originally Posted by zipy46

I am terrorized by physicals.. my BP goes through the roof..

must be something to do with knowing that your lively hood

is in grave jeopardy at that moment...its like a panic attack

I used to fly small planes as a hobby and the BP was never an issue..

in the 2 years I been driving it has basically gotten all messed up

and gone through the ceiling....its a high pressure job all around.

Originally Posted by bigdaddyjollyrob

Eliminate coffee(or reduce to decafe) eliminate soda, drink plenty of water. Thats what I did and the next time I seen my doctor he jumped up and gave me a hug because my BP was perfect. Gatorades,powerade all effect your blood pressure. Drink more water and some crystal light,low sugar juices or diet juices.

Originally Posted by NotSteve

Drinking any fluid at all increases your blood pressure. The first type of pill they will give you is a diuretic to get rid of any water in your system.

Get yourself a blood pressure machine and experiment.


If your border line and want to pass, this is how.

Stop drinking anything the day before at 5pm

Plenty of sleep

Either go for a brisk walk, push ups or anything to get your heart rate up an hour before the test.

The ultimate fix is to take a Viagra 4 hours before the test. People with low blood pressure cannot take Viagra because one of the side effects is that it lowers your BP even more. And save the jokes, it works.

Don't believe me, buy a $50 BP machine at Walmart and try the above.

I have a friend who is a cop and all the guys over 50 do this to pass the test.

Originally Posted by ericmrtt

I did my DOT physical and low and behold they clock me at 158/80 I think. They just give me a DOT card for 3 months. So I said alright, cool. But than I get a call from Watkin Shepard saying that I can't start training til I get my blood pressure down. Is all companies like this?

Originally Posted by bigdaddyjollyrob

you have white coat syndrome. ask to re due your bp in 20 min. Stay in the room with the lights out for 15-20 min. This happens to a lot of people. Also no coffee or soda for a few - 5 days before exam and you'll be surprised by the results. Caffeine elevates your BP

Originally Posted by NotSteve

Drinking any fluid at all increases your blood pressure. The first type of pill they will give you is a diuretic to get rid of any water in your system.

Get yourself a blood pressure machine and experiment.


If your border line and want to pass, this is how.

Stop drinking anything the day before at 5pm

Plenty of sleep

Either go for a brisk walk, push ups or anything to get your heart rate up an hour before the test.

The ultimate fix is to take a Viagra 4 hours before the test. People with low blood pressure cannot take Viagra because one of the side effects is that it lowers your BP even more. And save the jokes, it works.

Don't believe me, buy a $50 BP machine at Walmart and try the above.

I have a friend who is a cop and all the guys over 50 do this to pass the test.

Originally Posted by lurchgs

Orange is right - make sure they use the proper sized cuff. I went in for my physical for school and the nurse (NOT young and pretty - not sure she was ever either) took my BP and it showed 164/110. *THAT* shot my BP right through the roof.

I have hypertension and am on threshold meds - that is, the lowest dosage they make. I take my BP weekly and with the meds (and another habit I'll mention in a moment) I have a BP in the mid-120s.

I was stressing really hard (Been unemployed for months and about to lose the house) when the doc came in. He took one look at me (the nurse had told him the BP) - I'm 6'6" and 325, then at the cuff.

He just rolled his eyes and swapped out the cuff from "small" to "large". Even stressed as I was, my BP was only 134/86.

That made me feel a lot better.

As did the fact that my at-rest pulse is still in the 50s

Now, besides meds (of any nature - prescription or vitamin or just plain grass), besides cutting out coffee, besides cutting out *alcohol*, besides exercise... one thing that will lower your BP probably more than anything else: Get Plenty Of Sleep!

Americans, as a rule, short themselves 2 or more hours of sleep a night. Do not get me wrong, I am not an 8-hour advocate. Determine how much sleep you need - go to bed *early* every nght for a week or two. If you normally go to bed at midnight and get up at 6, go to bed at 10.

Get yourself to the point where you don't need the alarm clock to wake up (and absolutely don't need the snoozer). If 10 - 6 isn't enough, start shifting your bed time earlier.

If you find that 9-10 hours isn't enough, see your doctor and ask about a sleep study. You might have sleep apnea - you THINK you are sleeping, but really are not. (I speak from experience). Sleeping with a Darth Vader mask takes a little getting used to, but I rarely have to drag myself out of bed in the morning, and I *never* use an alarm clock.

For my wife, it's 9 to 10 hours (high stress job and apnea)

For me, it's typically 6 hours (no darn job, and apnea)

so, "8 hours" is hooey. Everybody forgets that 8-hours of sleep is an AVERAGE.

Also, keep in mind that if you have a stressful day, you'll probably need more sleep that night.

So what if this cuts into your party life. So what if you miss your favorite TV show. This is your HEALTH we are talking about here.

OOps - sorry. Got up on my soapbox there.

Let me close by stating that it is my firm belief, backed by personal experience, that if we do just two things, our trips to the doctor will be far less frequent. Sleep *right*, and drink plenty of water. (I drink a gallon a day)

Take care of yourself - whole-body transplants aren't available yet

Originally Posted by rigidsporty

I do, however, agree with Fozzy about going to the doc...