alcohol and blood pressure

[yello]

Regular readers of this column will know that I'm monitoring my blood pressure. I check it same time every day and it's averaging a border line 140/80.

Last night, I forgot at the appointed hour and took it nearer 10pm... after a G&T and a couple of glasses of wine. It was 125/75!

Now, common wisdom is that alcohol increases blood pressure not decreases it so who knows what's happening there. Co-incidence perhaps?

Perhaps I should experiment. Maybe stick a couple of bottles of wine in fridge in readiness!

 

[Riverman]

pftt! any excuse for a drink.

How much are they again?

 

[cheadle hulme]

Alcohol causes hypertension in the long term.

However, whilst its actually in your blood stream it will tend to lower pressure. Its purely a short term reaction.

 

[Ben M]

Alcohol causes hypertension in the long term.

However, whilst its actually in your blood stream it will tend to lower pressure. Its purely a short term reaction.

So just keep drinking and you're sorted!

 

[MrGrumpy]

sounds like a great idea

 

[Flying Dodo]

Of course it could be that being later in the day, you were more relaxed, so your blood pressure was lower due to that, rather than the alcohol. More testing required I reckon.

 

[yello]

More testing required I reckon.

Will do doc!

 

[jimboalee]

Alcohol thins the blood. Lowers the pressure.

Two glasses of red won't do any harm ( two glasses per day, that is, NOT per hour )

 

[ASC1951]

I check it same time every day and it's averaging a border line 140/80.

Maybe stick a couple of bottles of wine in fridge in readiness!

Every day? Once a week is plenty.

Far more importantly, the fridge is too cold for any wine, even fizzy wine (unless you are just cooling it down). Fridges usually run at 4-6 deg and fizzy wine is best at 8-10 deg, still wine at 10-12 deg. Red wine at 14-20 deg depending on age and quality. http://www.winecare.co.uk/acatalog/wine-temperature-guide.html

Most people drink red wine too warm and white wine much too cold. You lose many of the volatile elements and therefore much of the taste.

 

[yello]

Every day? Once a week is plenty.

It's okay. I only write it down once a the week

 

[AWG]

140/80 doesn't sound borderline to me, it sounds good! But there again the Medical people are changing the thresholds all the while. I went to the doc. at age 51 with a cycling knee injury, she took my pressure and it was way up - like about 148/96. She said it was probably the pain of the injury, - but nope, I had high pressure all the while. Soooo, have been on these Ace Inhibitors, otherwise known as Lisinopril ever since - just a 5 mg dosage a day, so probably know a thing or two about B.P. now, 8 years later. One thing, you never take your pressure reading after caffeine drinks, coffee, cola, red bull type stuff. If you feel agitated then this too will show in your reading. The best type of machine is an upper arm cuff, digital machine; others can be less accurate. My B.P. now ranges between 128/68 to about 140/83. Non smoker average build male approaching 60.

Answer to your question: moderate amounts of alcohol help keep B.P. down. I believe wine has the most beneficial effect - red especially.