Sleep Is Really Important, But I Still Love My Dog. Plus Some More AAA-Stent-Induced Hypertension Data!

Hi! Folks,

I haven’t been able to think straight for a week or two due to my old dog Nickel. She is about 18 years old, blind and deaf, and she now has the lovely habit of barking off and on all night. I had about four hours sleep in the last four days. This makes writing my posts almost impossible, as my mind is all of a fuzz! Some friends say ‘put the dog down.’ Some say you have to do something, but they don’t say what. I’m an old dog myself, so I say let Nickel have the best life that she can have, as she still can wag her tail, and so can I.

Here she is:

Not a great photo, but Nickel has been a great companion for so many years. Instead of writing in a mental fog, I am just going to show you some more blood pressure data. Really interesting stuff. It would appear that the ACE inhibitor is helping, as do training and alcohol (within reason), which also bring down my systolic BP. I am fortunate to have a coach (Eric Bean) who is actually interested in seeing these data, and he even designs experiments to see where I am safe to train, one result of which is shown in the second graph, below. What is more, Eric’s workouts are really great fun!

Yep! I am a lucky chap!

Good Night!

Kevin

Influence of Lisinopril (ACE inhibitor), Exercise and Alcohol on my AAA-Stent-Induced Hypertension

Eric Bean's Experimental Wattage Ramp Effects On My AAA-Stent-Induced Hypertension

Here are Eric’s thoughts on these data:

Kevin,

Thanks for the data.  Again, your SBP response to high intensity intervals is very interesting.  Could it be that high [H+] or [La+] or [CO2], or high temperature or low pH (the same causes of the Bohr effect which leads to a rightward shift in the oxyhemoglobin dissociation curve) causes arteriolar dilation (the primary determinants of  SBP) thus decreasing SBP (resistance) in an attempt to maximize perfusion?  Seems plausible.

Eric