canklecat

Meh, 140/90 is within the normal range for white coat fever. Just moving around to get to an appointment can elevate blood pressure and heart rate a bit.

When I was an amateur boxer in the 1970s my BP was 140/90 just before a bout. The medic was concerned. I told him to look at my opponent. I was a light middleweight at the time, 5'11" and around 155 lbs. They didn't have anyone in my weight class and the next closest guy to my size was 6'4" and pretty close to a light heavyweight -- there was no super-middleweight division at that time, but that guy would easily have weighed 165-170 lbs. I told the medic "Sure, my BP is elevated a bit. Look at the guy." I outpointed him but it was a tough job getting inside his long jab and having to punch upward.

Before his first title match against Sonny Liston, Muhammad Ali's (then Cassius Clay, for historical accuracy) BP was something like 180/100, unusually high. Ali and his handlers said it's just because Ali gets hyped up before a big fight. Later Ali admitted he was terrified of Liston before that bout. It was only after the fight started that Ali realized he could beat Liston.

So, yeah, external stressors are a factor in BP even with highly trained and otherwise healthy athletes.

The usual ideal way to check our blood pressure and heart rate is first thing upon waking, even before standing. So keep a cuff by the bed.

My BP is usually within the normal range, but for years my HR was high. My resting pulse seldom dipped below the 80s, and was usually closer to 90. Exercise didn't make any difference in my resting HR. My HR during exercise was within the normal range for my age, topping out at 160-170 bpm.

But after my surgery last year for thyroid cancer and getting onto levothyroxine replacement, my resting HR is usually in the 60s. If I check my BP/HR first thing upon waking, sometimes the pulse is in the high 50s, and BP usually around 110/60.

But as soon as I get up and move around, or during strenuous exercise my BP is typically 130-140/80-90, and occasionally spikes higher during high intensity interval training sessions. After resting a few minutes my BP typically drops below 120/70, and occasionally dips below 100/60. I think the lowest I measured last year was 88/50 after a hard workout session.

I wouldn't take blood pressure meds unless I noticed a pattern of high BP at home. I do have a beta blocker for severe headaches, but don't take it daily. For some reason beta blockers are effective for some folks with migraine or cluster headaches. It works but drains my energy. Even when I took propranolol daily years ago for headaches I never got accustomed to the feeling of lethargy. So now I take it only when nothing else works and resign myself to feeling groggy all day.

Ditto, cholesterol. I've never had high "bad" cholesterol, until recently. My doc suggested taking meds, but I declined. I'm pretty sure I had a big breakfast before that lab test, which skewed the results. So I won't worry about it unless there's a persistent problem. Even then I'm skeptical of cholesterol meds.