Bp Rising Hr Slowing After Going Upstairs...what?!

[louloutinks]

Hi

For the past few years after walking back upstairs in the morning, I get a really rapid heart rate and a rise in BP but not too much.

This morning I walked up the stairs and didn't feel normal (well like I usually do but hardly 'normal' !) so I took my BP and it was 131/112 hr 76. Took it again just to be sure and it was 201/137 hr 65.

My hr in the morning usually races up to the 180s after doing stairs but it seemed the higher the BP the lower my heart rate.

This is so not normal for me. Can anyone explain this for me as this is something new to me.

[Katybug]

I can't explain why it has changed from your normal reaction. But, when your body works correctly if your BP rises your HR falls....they have an inverse relationship. Your's was obviously still extreme this morning. Maybe your body is trying to compensate correctly and is still missing the mark.

[louloutinks]

Hi and thanks for your reply.

Very different reaction to what is normal for me. It doesn't seem a normal reaction after walking upstairs for anyone as heart rate usually rises even with mild exercise. I can understand the heart slows when BP rises but just not after stairs which normally give me a hr of 150 minimum.

[E Soskis]

Well....the Autonomic Nervous System is charged with regulating our internal functions. It is broken down into the Sympathetic and Parasympathetic systems. The sympathetic system is responsible for our "fight or flight" responses. This includes our blood pressure and heart rates. When we place increased demands upon our body...such as walking up stairs....we are requiring more blood flow to sustain the exercise. The primary way we get this is through increased heart rate which increases the blood flow, cardiac output, and ultimately the blood pressure. We also experience vasoconstriction which increases our blood pressure. Once the blood pressure is high enough to support the activity, then the heart can slow down a bit and get back to normal and our vasculature can relax a little. BUT.....

Since we all have been blessed with malfunctioning autonomic nervous systems, the whole "normal" response gets thrown right out the window! Hence, with POTS, the heart rate rises way too much and with AAG, the heart rate drops precariously low. Our vasculature is floppy and does not respond well to vasoconstriction and/or dilatation. There is a whole lot of inbetween tossed into this mix so....it is not always predictable for any of us to have a "normal malfunctioning" response. I call it, "never a dull moment" - and "always something new to look forward to".

[louloutinks]

Wow thanks for that detailed reply. So many people on this site seem to understand it all so well - wish I did.

Can I ask what AAG is? I have not heard of that. It obviously is something medical so how does it affect us?

My pulse before I went down the stairs was 89 so dropping is odd!

[E Soskis]

AAG = autoimmune autonomic ganglionopathy

My immune system has gone haywire and is producing antibodies against itself. The antibodies attach to the nerve endings (ganglia) and slow it down or shut it down. The sympathetic nervous system is mostly involved but, as it progresses, the parasympathetic system is jumping into the mix. The symptoms are mostly what everyone with generalized dysautonomia experience - the heart rate is the big difference between AAG and POTS - since the nervous system is shutting down, so is the heart rate and function.....

I am so blessed to have found this support group - I am appreciative of all the comments I read - It is so nice to be able to describe something that is going on and have people understand - dysautonomia can be a lonely disease and now that I have this group with which to commiserate, I don't feel as alone.....