Blood pressure, sugar & heart

Blood pressure creeping up

⚠️ BP ≥ 180/120 with chest pain, severe headache, blurred vision, slurred speech, or one-sided weakness is a hypertensive emergency — go to the ER now.

• HypertensionBlood pressure = flow × resistance — silent but organ-damagingThe cruelest thing about high blood pressure is that it doesn't hurt.Metabolism & weight · Heart & metabolism5 stations

Blood sugar creeping up

• Type 2 Diabetes & PrediabetesHow insulin resistance walks toward type 2 diabetesType 2 diabetes is not simply eating too much sugar.Metabolism & weight · Heart & metabolism5 stations
• Fructose vs Glucose MetabolismFructose detours around blood sugar, straight to the liverFructose and glucose are both sugars with the same calories, yet they take two different roads through the body.Macros · Nutrients5 stations

Racing or skipping heartbeat

⚠️ Palpitations that don't stop, or come with chest pain, shortness of breath, feeling faint or fainting: go to the emergency department now and don't drive yourself; if they have stopped, or palpitations come with exercise, a new irregular heartbeat, or a resting heart rate above 120 or below 45: contact a doctor the same day. Recurring episodes, ones lasting more than a few minutes, or a family history of sudden death at a young age: see a doctor soon for an ECG.

• Palpitations and skipped beatsWhat a skipped beat is, which palpitations need action now, and how to catch one in the actPalpitations mean you have noticed your own heartbeat. They are common and mostly not dangerous, but 75% of people get them again within a year. Even…Metabolism & weight · Heart & metabolism6 stations
• Palpitations and skipped beatsRacing that starts and stops suddenly is often mistaken for panic attacksPalpitations mean you have noticed your own heartbeat. They are common and mostly not dangerous, but 75% of people get them again within a year. Even…Metabolism & weight · Heart & metabolism6 stations
• Autonomic Nervous System & HRV · A Recovery Window, Not a DiagnosisHow stress and rest change the rhythm of your heartbeatHeart rate variability (HRV) is not your heart rate.Sleep & mind · Stress, mood & drive5 stations
• Caffeine + L-TheanineToo much caffeine can bring on palpitations, and people clear it at different speedsCaffeine does not inject energy.Supplements · Brain & focus5 stations
• Chronic Stress · the HPA AxisWhen stress never switches off, palpitations are one of the common body signsThe stress response itself is not a bad thing.Sleep & mind · Stress, mood & drive5 stations

Always cold · cold hands and feet

⚠️ If one hand or foot suddenly turns cold, pale or blue, very painful, numb or weak, an artery may be blocked: go to the emergency department now. Burning leg or foot pain at rest, non-healing wounds or toes turning black: see a doctor the same day.

• Cold hands and feetHands and feet go cold first because the body shuts their skin blood shunts to protect core temperatureThe skin of the hands and feet has arteriovenous shunts that the brain shuts first when the body is cool, to protect core temperature. Cold hands in a…Metabolism & weight · Heart & metabolism5 stations
• Cold hands and feetFingers turning white, blue, then red in the cold is Raynaud's phenomenonThe skin of the hands and feet has arteriovenous shunts that the brain shuts first when the body is cool, to protect core temperature. Cold hands in a…Metabolism & weight · Heart & metabolism5 stations
• Iron-Deficiency Anemia · when blood can't carry oxygenWhen there aren't enough oxygen-carrying red cells, tiredness, feeling cold and breathlessness tend to come togetherAnemia does not mean less blood.Metabolism & weight · Urate, kidneys & anaemia7 stations
• Hashimoto's ThyroiditisWhen the thyroid slows down, feeling cold is one of the common signsHashimoto's thyroiditis (Hashimoto's for short) is the immune system mistaking its own thyroid — the gland at the front of the neck that sets how fast…Metabolism & weight · Thyroid & hormones5 stations