Serious Blood Pressure Problem? -

I m a 19-year old male. I am a runner and I am in good shape. 5 11quot;, 150 pounds, 11% body fat. I eat a healthy diet (with a fair amount of junk food on top of the nutrients). My parents both have LOW blood pressure (110/70-ish). My blood pressure is always high. Between 160/85 and 130/60 depending on the day. I ve googled quot;isolated systolic hypertensionquot; and it seems to be the only thing I can find. I have sleep apnea as well. What could be wrong with me? The doctor says I m fine but I dont think I am. Please, please give me some advice or information. Not just quot;see a doctorquot; because I ve already done that. Thank you.

Well the good news is your pressures is not too bad high! But it is kinda scary when you have high blood pressure. The first thing is try not to stress too much about it because that will only make your BP worst (easier said than done I know). The second thing I would suggest is since you mentioned you have sleep apnea try using one of those c-pap machines at night....mention it to your doctor or go to one of those medical supply stores. Your pressures could go down after you use the c-pap since sleep apnea can cause high blood pressure. It sounds like your lifestyle is great with the exercise but maybe try to modify your diet a little. Try not to add salt to your food (use something like Ms. Dash....it is really good also) and try to stay away from frozen foods which tend to have lots of sodium to preserve it. And when you go to buy foods look for a the brand with lower sodium. But don t get discouraged if your pressures stay up.....sometimes it is nothing your are doing but it just happens. Good luck!

Your sleep apnea may cause your BP to be elevated esp. in the morning. Are you watching your sodium intake?