Blood Pressure Experiment

So, I conducted a little experiment today. I haven't smoked in 5 days and I had gotten over my withdrawal symptoms (anxiety, loss of appetite, cold sweats, and disturbed sleep). It's not the first time I quit so I knew what to expect and try to control myself from snapping at people cause I felt like shit. Anywhoo, I was watching some tv shows on hulu and I felt a bit off. I checked my blood pressure because I felt a little tightness in my chest. I wasn't surprised how high it was but a little worried. I just turned 30, I'm 40 lbs. overweight, and I'm pretty much a fat sack of shit and I know it. High BP is normal for me. I broke out some stuff I was curing and smoked a nugglet the size of a small lady bug. The following list contain my blood pressure readings during the course of my high(s). Yes, I got high after smoking so little. BP readings were taken by a Omron bp-755. For the readings a few minutes apart, I left the band on and didn't move as I was just watching tv. As for what strain, it's a cutting variant of OG Kush that we get in Los Angeles perhaps now extinct.

1pm- felt tightness in chest

BP: 145/98/78 <--Pulse
time after toking (in mins)
1 min 134/92/84
2 mins 133/87/83
5 mins 131/83/87
10 mins 132/90/85
12 mins 136/87/87
17 mins 128/84/86
At this point the timing got garbled as I was pretty high
129/83/82
132/82/80
After the reading, I went to walmart and took another reading when I got back
123/86/86 back home
1hr 139/88/75
2hrs 147/93/95
2:01hrs 140/91/85
2:05hrs 142/83/91
I was pretty sober and I took 3 readings in a row to make sure I wasn't tripping.

4:20pm
what can I say? same amount
1min 140/82/95
2mins 144/86/91
5mins 130/82/88
10 mins 133/82/90
I started writing the time down
4:40pm 130/89/89
4:43pm 129/82/88
4:46pm 139/79/86 only explanation in this spike was an argument I had with someone between readings
4:49pm 131/84/84
4:52pm 135/86/87
4:57pm 128/79/85
5:00pm 138/78/86 had a homemade tax free cigarette. Yes, on top of being a fat sack of shit, I smoke tobacco. Any single ladies out there?
5:03pm 137/84/95
writing this post up notepad I took another a reading just now
5:40pm 141/91/85

So there you have it. No conjecture just pure data points. I apologize for all the variables but I was just bored and life got in the way of my experiment. Make of it what you will but the way I view the data is that cannabis lowers BP while it's active in the system. When you sober up, the beneficial effects also disappear. While BP goes down, pulse goes up. So is that good or bad? I honestly don't know. I'm hesitant to say if this is medically advantageous because I don't know why or how cannabis does this but Mark Emery's doctor believes it does. I know I'm preaching to the choir here, but is it really necessary for someone to test their own blood pressure to research the effects of cannabis? Legalize this shit already and let scientist get their hands on it.

Thoughts:
Curiosity got the best of me this time and now I have to start from day one again. As for the reason I quit? It's addictive to me and my body got dependent on it. My consumption was about a 1/4 a week so your withdrawal symptoms may differ from my experiences. Example: I'd wake up after sleeping for a couple hours to smoke just to fall asleep again. Crazy fiend, I know, so I quit. Willpower is a magical thing. You either have it or you're in AA or MA or GA or whatever. Besides, whats good about fucking up your lungs when you can't even get high? This post should not be an excuse to smoke. BP medication is very cheap and widely available. The only thing is that you have to keep taking it once you start. Also, and I may be wrong, but it looks like you have to be high to get the health benefits of lower blood pressure. Does this damage other parts of your body in the process? Everyone knows smoking is bad for you but who really knows what else is going on to lower blood pressure. I read a study a long time ago that extensive usage will enlarge part of your heart but I could not find it. Weed is a great alternative to alcohol but then we don't drink everyday all day unless your an alcoholic. Does anyone know if there is a genetic predisposition to marijuana addiction? lol, again, we'd know if it was legal...

Anyway, Have a happy day!

 

hah!
I knew someone would have an idea where to research on this subject. I was hesitant to post this but thanks for your input, PDX503Kush. I totally forget about edibles but since I don't want my tolerance any higher than it is I didn't dig into my cookie jar. You're absolutely right. Edibles would be a great alternative to BP medication since they last a long time. I'd be super interested in your results as it's easy to do.

 

Yea dude don't worry about it. I only did it cause I was curious and bored. I was watching a reaally long series on hulu when the pressure set it so it didn't affect my schedule. I researched vasodilation and found it very interesting. below is an very abridged wikipedia entry.

Vasodilation refers to the widening of blood vessels
When blood vessels dilate, the flow of blood is increased due to a decrease in vascular resistance. Therefore, dilation of arterial blood vessels (mainly the arterioles) causes a decrease in blood pressure. The response may be intrinsic (due to local processes in the surrounding tissue) or extrinsic (due to hormones or the nervous system). Additionally, the response may be localized to a specific organ (depending on the metabolic needs of a particular tissue, as during strenuous exercise), or it may be systemic (seen throughout the entire systemic circulation).
Drugs that cause vasodilation are termed vasodilators.

now this is interesting:

Function
The primary function of vasodilation is to increase blood flow in the body to tissues that need it most. This is often in response to a localized need of oxygen, but can occur when the tissue in question is not receiving enough glucose or lipids or other nutrients

Therapeutic uses
Vasodilators are used to treat conditions such as hypertension, where the patient has an abnormally high blood pressure, as well as angina and congestive heart failure, where maintaining a lower blood pressure reduces the patient's risk of developing other cardiac problems.[3] Flushing may be a physiological response to vasodilators. A phosphodiesterase inhibitor, works to increase blood flow in the penis through vasodilation. It may also be used to treat pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).


This may be a stupid question but after reading about how this works, I wondered if this is the source of the stoner "red eye"? Sorry, when I fall of the wagon, I aint too bright till the next day. I even had to supress a small giggle at the penis reference in the above text. Is big pharma using a synthetic cannaboid in viagra? where's that aluminum foil....


Sildenafil (Viagra) is an inhibitor of cGMP-specific phosphodiesterase type 5, which enhances the vasodilatory effects of cGMP in the corpus cavernosum and is used to treat erectile dysfunction. Sildenafil is also currently being investigated for its myo- and cardioprotective effects, with particular interest being given to the compound's therapeutic value in the treatment of Duchenne muscular dystrophy [9] and benign prostatic hyperplasia [10].


Sounds awfully familiar...gotta love wikipedia for not dumbing it down. I don't understand half this shit.

cGMP is a common regulator of ion channel conductance[disambiguation needed ], glycogenolysis, and cellular apoptosis

wtf does a "disambiguation needed" citing mean in wikipedia? God damn weed nazis. I need disambiguation. legalize it.

anyway, just thought I'd share what PDX503Kush apparently knew offhand. (smart bastard) lol

oh, one thing: the viagra thing was a joke. Weed will not get your dick hard.
Well, actually...nvm.