Wearing a hat temporarily lowers blood pressure?

[ShinyJabberwocky]

Ever since November 2008, I've had issues with my blood pressure. Almost constantly, my blood pressure was around 160/100, sometimes even spiking to 170/110 after I ate. No one can really figure out what is going on, and symptoms of this high blood pressure were fatigue, heart pounding sensation, loss of endurance, heart palpitations (more frequent than before) and other minor symptoms. I was given atenonol and that helped to normalize the blood pressure but symptoms still persisted.

Here's the interesting thing that I'm noticing: everytime I wear my hat for an entire day, my BP is low at the end of the day--really low. Normally, when sitting my BP is around 140/80. When I wear a hat, my BP is 125/60. Is this even possible? Does it make sense that wearing a hat is causing this dip? It seems too coincidental to be anything else. Maybe I'm just losing my mind and wanting to find what the doctors couldn't, but could there be any possible reason why wearing a well-fitting hat could normalize my blood pressure?

[kenkeith]

No disrespect regarding your question shinyjabberwocy.  You were/are correct with very high probability that your experience is coincidental. Thanks for your question.  Take care.

[skydnsr]

Thank you for taking the lighter comments in the spirit in which they were offered.

[ed34]

that would be for a prince, and erm hum well, thats just not me.

[kenkeith]

Try a frog!

[ed34]

thank god I havent kissed one to find a princess :)

[kenkeith]

Handling toads causes warts.

[ed34]

"something to do about blood circulation"

I know if you massage your scalp it increases circulation to that area, maybe slowing down or preventing baldness. Still, my grandma said if I bury some meat in the garden it would remove the wart on my hand, which of course it didnt and I had to have it frozen off.:)

[kenkeith]

There was a time when it was said and believed (by some) that wearing a cap causes baldness...something to do about blood circulation.

[RadioAstronomyObserver]

  I'd too like to hear about this hat simply because I can't think of any reason it would work beyond the psychological.

[ed34]

Hi. I am really intrigued by this, and believe me, I am being very serious when I ask what type of hat it is. Do you think it is tight fitting enough to actually cut off the blood supply? because it would have to be very tight indeed. Major blood vessels for the brain are running under the skull, so you can see where I'm coming from.

[ShinyJabberwocky]

Just trying to figure out what's wrong with me, but I appreciate some of the "lighter" comments. I've been to a crapload of doctors and none of them can find any reason why I have high blood pressure or I feel the way I do; they simply prescribe meds and increase the dosage of the meds when they aren't working. I feel like all of the doctors are simply treating the symptoms and not locating the cause.

So yeah, the only thing I've found to help me is wearing a hat. If its cutting off blood circulation to the head and that's helping my blood pressure, so be it.

[Potatochipkitty]

Hi this is an old post so I doubt you’ll see this but I have POTS caused by chiari malformation type 1. I had my first decompression in 2014 and and started wearing wigs soon after. In July I became compressed again and the POTS was recently diagnosed. If I wear a wig cap and a wig my blood pressure drops and then raises after the blood flow is no longer cut off. So this is actually a thing for some people.

[ed34]

So in effect, people could swap their Ramipril for a tight fitting swimming hat? And tin foil would reflect radiation from the sun, helping keep the head at a constant temperature.
This could catch on.

[kenkeith]

If you are wearing a very tight cap that can constrict the blood flow to the head...the scalp is very rich with blood vessels, etc.as evidenced by bleeding profusely with a scalp injury.  Paradoxically, it could lower blood pressure.:)  Or it could be keeping the top of the heart warm decreases BP...it certainly would effect blood pressure on a cold day... less loss of body warmth..  

[skydnsr]

I would much rather wear the hat than take the pills.  Please tell me where I can get one of those hats.

[ed34]

I think you should perhaps patent the hat and make a fortune. I think it has to be coincidence unless you have genuinely stumbled on a medical breakthrough.

[RadioAstronomyObserver]

uhm... erm.. ah... Yes!  It does wonders for your blood pressure. in fact if you were to get a roll of aluminum foil and....;-)    The "coincidence" you mentioned is probably that you feel very conformable in the hat as opposed to not having it. Or, it could be a coincidence that the days you have the hat happen to be the days with the least amount of stress and/or work you have. Or it could be that you have relaxed long enough before putting the hat on and then having your BP taken which would show a lower BP.  However I still like the idea of buying a roll of aluminum foil and wrapping it around the hat.