Incidentally, I am not a doctor. These experiments are for my own curiosity, and I do not recommend you do the same.

Here are my results:

Here is the chart of this data:

While the graph may not look too impressive, you can see a large jump in blood pressure almost immediately. Before starting to smoke the cigar, the average blood pressure for the three preceding readings was 133/83. The first reading after starting to smoke was 149/92. That’s quite a jump.

The initial increase in blood pressure is spectacularly quick. Not surprising really, as smoke enters our bodies through the thin membranes of the lungs, as well as through the membranes in our mouth. This is why smokers can get a neat instant “hit” when they light up.

Blood pressure is raised for about 20 minutes before it returns back down to a more normal reading (that’s normal for me). When there is a stimulus to increase blood pressure, our bodies are going to try to combat that increase and lower the blood pressure. In this case it took about 20 minutes for my body to do so. Blood pressure then remained fairly constant for the remainder of the experiment.

It would be interesting to see how blood pressure would be affected if I continued to smoke all day (as in a chain smoker), and whether my body could compensate over a long period of time. I wont, however, be doing that experiment ;o)

Look out for new experiments soon. You’ll find them in the left hand menu.

You will often find out you suffer from high blood pressure (hypertension) on a routine visit to the doctor, or when going to see the doctor about another complaint (which may be as a direct result of your high blood pressure).

It is possible that you might suffer from headaches, nausea, dizziness or blurred vision, but many people will not even experience these symptoms.

High blood pressure puts your cardiovascular system under enormous strain, which can result in serious health problems, even death. High blood pressure is often responsible for heart attacks, strokes, and aneurysms.

When you suffer from high blood pressure, the capilliaries in your body can be easily damaged because of the pressure, meaning organs such as the eye and kidneys can be easily damaged.

How to tell if you have high blood pressure

There is only one way to be certain. Get it measured.

You can go to your doctor, or get a home blood pressure monitor and measure it yourself. Because of a syndrome called White Coat Syndrome, I personally prefer to measure mine myself.

There are various drugs and medications for high blood pressure treatment, though these can often have undesirable side-effects.

There are also natural ways you can reduce your blood pressure as well, including changing your diet, increasing exercise, giving up smoking and losing weight. In fact, I personally reduced my blood pressure to normal using a combination of these “natural methods”. You should also be aware that changes to your exercise and diet can be responsible for more than just lowering your blood pressure. Being more careful with the food you eat and doing a little more exercise can help reduce factors such as stress, heart disease, cholesterol, arthritis and prevent onset of diabetes.

Don’t risk being the next victim of the silent killer.

It is vitally important that you keep checks on your blood pressure, and if high, seek medical help. While blood pressure medications can help reduce a dangerously high blood pressure, they often do have side-effects. In my own case, I wanted to find ways to help control my blood pressure naturally, and within a couple of months, my blood pressure was largely under control. The following tips are for information only. Please consult your doctor if you have high blood pressure.

Tips for controlling blood pressure

• Reduce alcohol intake if you drink more than three alcoholic beverages a day. Small amounts of alcohol don’t seem to affect blood pressure in the same way, but heavy drinkers will benefit from reducing alcohol intake.
• Drink plenty of fresh water – your body is made up of a high percentage of water. If you don’t drink enough, your body tries to hold onto it, causing bloating. By drinking water regularly throughout the day, your body can detoxify your body. Your urine can be a good gauge to whether you are drinking enough water. The darker it is, the more dehydrated you are.
• Increase levels of activity – this will exercise your heart. Studies regularly show that increased exercise will help lower blood pressure.
• Lose weight if you need to – if you are over-weight, your heart has to work harder to pump blood around your body. Losing weight can reduce blood pressure, and you’ll feel a lot better as well.
• Reduce salt intake – your body does require salt, but in most cases, it can be supplied in sufficient doses by eating a balanced diet. Foods contain salt, so you don’t need to add extra. Since sodium (a component of salt) is involved in regulating body fluids, it can play a role in high blood pressure. If you eat canned products, read the labels. Look for food sources low in sodium.
• Avoid food high in fat or cholesterol.
• Stop smoking – nicotine has been shown to constrict blood vessels (making them narrower), raising the pressure in the vessels.
• Reduce Caffeine intake – My morning coffees are an important part of my daily routine, but I found that by having one caffeine coffee, and then switching to decaffeine coffee for the rest of the morning, I could have the best of both worlds, while helping to reduce my blood pressure.

Prior to following these tips, my blood pressure regularly reached 140/90 and even 140/100. After two months of following these tips, my blood pressure was normal, and often as far down as 115/68. These tips were responsible for controlling my high blood pressure, and meant that I could avoid going onto drugs. If you decide to try the natural route, please do consult your doctor first. The above information does not constitute medical advise.