Caffeine

If coffee is supposed to increase your heart rate, how come when I just had 4 cups my heart rate dropped down to 49/min?

pinhedz wrote:If coffee is supposed to increase your heart rate, how come when I just had 4 cups my heart rate dropped down to 49/min?

I am not sure , but I do know that in Athletics Caffine is currently regarded as the legal stimulant.

We're warned about the Health effects of excessive caffeine use on the London Underground.

Staff were once shown a "Health Information" video of spiders spinning webs under the influence of a range of substances from LSD to alcohol. By far the strangest and most disorganised webs were spun by spiders high on caffeine.

eddie wrote:By far the strangest and most disorganised webs were spun by spiders high on caffeine.

Originality and imagination are often misunderstood and underappreciated.

I wonder if the Shaggs drank coffee?

At work, I've switched to Hot Chocolate. Tastes vile, but I find that I become less stressed and I sleep better.

Had my blood pressure tested last week under a routine NHS initiative for the over 40's- viz. if you didn't respond to the 'invite' they'd strike you off the list of patients registered at the health centre I (rarely) attend.

It's too high.

My description of the health effects of working shifts must have alarmed the doc because she ordered blood tests: Liver function. Thyroid function. Fasting lipids (whatever they are). Urea. Electrolytes...and I thought this was going to be a simple test for cholesterol.

...or not so simple:

I'd been instructed to 'fast' from midnight before the test on Tuesday morning, which I duely did. But when I presented myself at the health centre at 8am on Tuesday morning, it transpired that my interpretation of the term 'fast' (i.e. don't eat anthing solid) didn't gel with that of the nurse who was to take my blood sample. I'd made the mistake of consuming several cups of tea with milk and sugar- which, it appears, invalidates the whole process.

Damn those fasting lipids.

So now the appointment has had to be rescheduled for Friday morning. Water only, for 12 hours before the sample is extracted.

Looking at the list of tests, I'm less worried about my blood pressure being high- entirely comprehensible in a stressful job, and treatable by meds and lifestyle adjustments- as by the thought that the high blood pressure might be merely a symptom of something more sinister.

Since the sample's got to be sent off to the lab, it'll probably be at least a week before I know what (if anything) is up.

Wiki says 'lipids' are, roughly, fats- of which cholesterol is one:

eddie wrote:Had my blood pressure tested last week under a routine NHS initiative for the over 40's- viz. if you didn't respond to the 'invite' they'd

strike you off the list of patients registered at the health centre I (rarely) attend.

It's too high.

My description of the health effects of working shifts must have alarmed the doc because she ordered blood tests: Liver function. Thyroid function. Fasting lipids (whatever they are). Urea. Electrolytes...and I thought this was going to be a simple test for cholesterol.

...or not so simple:

I'd been instructed to 'fast' from midnight before the test on Tuesday morning, which I duely did. But when I presented myself at the health centre at 8am on Tuesday morning, it transpired that my interpretation of the term 'fast' (i.e. don't eat anthing solid) didn't gel with that of the nurse who was to take my blood sample. I'd made the mistake of consuming several cups of tea with milk and sugar- which, it appears, invalidates the whole process.

Damn those fasting lipids.

So now the appointment has had to be rescheduled for Friday morning. Water only, for 12 hours before the sample is extracted.

Looking at the list of tests, I'm less worried about my blood pressure being high- entirely comprehensible in a stressful job, and treatable by meds and lifestyle adjustments- as by the thought that the high blood pressure might be merely a symptom of something more sinister.

Since the sample's got to sent off to the lab, it'll probably be at least a week before I know what (if anything) is up.

the sad fact is that no matter what you do , like me you will need to take a pill for blood pressure every morning for the rest of your life

Doc Watson wrote:the sad fact is that no matter what you do , like me you will need to take a pill for blood pressure every morning for the rest of your life

Well, we shall see when the results of the blood tests come through.

Just over a year ago I had a routine 55+ company medical. Shortly after I arrived at the venue I had my blood pressure tested- and it was too high. But they're used to that: the effect of trying to find the bloody place in the middle of a London rush-hour. An hour later, they tested me again and my blood pressure was normal.

Scroll on a year, and my blood pressure was tested three times in the course of my appointment last week:

Too high.
Lower, but still too high.
Yet lower, but still too high.

The downward trend is apparently encouraging.

But, as I say, we shall see.

eddie wrote:

Doc Watson wrote:the sad fact is that no matter what you do , like me you will need to take a pill for blood pressure every morning for the rest of your life

Well, we shall see when the results of the blood tests come through.












IJ
Just over a year ago I had a routine 55+ company medical. Shortly after I arrived at the venue I had my blood pressure tested- and it was too high. But they're used to that: the effect of trying to find the bloody place in the middle of a London rush-hour. An hour later, they tested me again and my blood pressure was normal.

Scroll on a year, and my blood pressure was tested three times in the course of my appointment last week:

Too high.
Lower, but still too high.
Yet lower, but still too high.

The downward trend is apparently encouraging.

But, as I say, we shall see.

I donate blood once a fortnight , with the tablets my blood pressure is at acceptable levels however when I see my doctor I get a higher level , he says I have white coat fever ! A second test lying down a few minutes later can often produce a lower reading.

eddie wrote:

Doc Watson wrote:the sad fact is that no matter what you do , like me you will need to take a pill for blood pressure every morning for the rest of your life

Well, we shall see when the results of the blood tests come through.












IJ
Just over a year ago I had a routine 55+ company medical. Shortly after I arrived at the venue I had my blood pressure tested- and it was too high. But they're used to that: the effect of trying to find the bloody place in the middle of a London rush-hour. An hour later, they tested me again and my blood pressure was normal.

Scroll on a year, and my blood pressure was tested three times in the course of my appointment last week:

Too high.
Lower, but still too high.
Yet lower, but still too high.

The downward trend is apparently encouraging.

But, as I say, we shall see.

I donate blood once a fortnight , with the tablets my blood pressure is at acceptable levels however when I see my doctor I get a higher level , he says I have white coat fever ! A second test lying down a few minutes later can often produce a lower reading.

The fastest way to lower blood pressure is aerobix or ethanol--but for both the effect is temporary.

Contrary to popular belief, cholesterol does not go from your tummy to your bloodstream (only ethanol does that); cholesterol is produced in your liver from saturated fat.

There is one school of dieting called the "low-glycemic" diet, which says "Eat saturated fat! Avoid grains and orange juice!" But the underlying premise of that diet is that you don't care about your heart--you just want a hot bod by Saturday night.

Heavy coffee drinkers seem to become caffeine-tolerant, because they have slightly lower blood pressure than coffee abstainers (but not much lower). The positive effect is probably not due to the caffeine, however.

Moderate coffee drinkers see a rise in blood pressure every time they have a cup--which lasts for several hours--probably because they aren't drinking enough to become caffeine-tolerant. Among moderate coffee drinkers, there is also a higher probability of a stroke within an hour of drinking coffee (this is not the case for heavy coffee drinkers).

So moderate coffee consumption seems to be the worst policy.

The pinhed has at least 8 cups daily

Three or more cups of black tea a day is said to reduce blood pressure.

Doc Watson wrote: ... however when I see my doctor I get a higher level , he says I have white coat fever!

I've had to explain to my doctor that I don't have white coat fever--I have black cloak fever. The doc is not the scary one (he's on my side, after all). He's essentially a technical expert for the head of delegation (me) during the biannual meetings at which we to cut a deal with the grim reaper.