May is National High Blood Pressure Education Month, and we’d like to take this opportunity to talk about some of the basics of high blood pressure, including how you prevent it and a few methods of treatment.
What is high blood pressure, and why does it matter?
High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is a medical condition that occurs when blood pushes too hard against the walls of your arteries. Arteries are the blood vessels your heart uses to pump blood throughout your body.
While it is normal for blood pressure to increase occasionally due to exercise, a rise in emotion, or any short-term activity that raises your heart rate, an issue arises when this increase is sustained over a long period of time.
The strain of high blood pressure on arteries can lead to severe health problems, such as heart attack, brain aneurysm, stroke, kidney failure, heart failure, and dementia.
These diseases are why the medical community focuses so prominently on blood pressure. They’re the reasons your blood pressure is measured every time you go to the doctor’s office, why ads for blood pressure medication are prevalent on TV, and why at-home blood pressure test kits are so accessible.
How do I make sense of my blood pressure reading?
When your blood pressure is measured, it registers two numbers in a fraction; for example, 110/70 mm Hg (read ‘one hundred ten over seventy millimeters of mercury”). The top number is your blood pressure while your heart is contracting in a heartbeat, and the bottom number is your blood pressure between the beats. A person is considered at risk for high blood pressure when their blood pressure is over 120/80 mm Hg and considered as having high blood pressure when their blood pressure is over 130/80.
How can I prevent high blood pressure?
There are a few factors that can contribute to an increased risk of high blood pressure, so avoiding these can help keep blood pressure down. They include excessive alcohol and/or tobacco use, an abundance of salt in your diet, a lack of potassium in your diet, not exercising, and being overly stressed. Knowing this, you can take preventative measures such as
- exercising for at least 30 minutes a day,
- not partaking in excessive substance use,
- reducing sodium intake,
- increasing potassium intake,
- giving yourself time to relax and managing stress
Unfortunately, some factors that contribute to high blood pressure are out of your control.
Age, race, and chronic conditions, such as diabetes, and genetic disposition can heighten one’s risk. If you’re concerned about these factors, speak with your primary care physician.
How is high blood pressure treated?
Luckily, there are many methods of managing your blood pressure, even if it is high. The American Heart Association suggests several options to lower blood pressure.
Even if your risk for high blood pressure is unavoidable, exercising, reducing your sodium intake, and avoiding alcohol and tobacco can help keep your blood pressure at a manageable level. If these don’t work, medications (prescribed by a doctor or over the counter) may help.
Hypertension is a serious, chronic medical condition and should not be taken lightly. Listed below are several resources where you an learn more or find support.
https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blood-pressure/the-facts-about-high-blood-pressure
https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blood-pressure/commit-to-a-plan-to-lower-your-blood-pressure/make-a-healthy-team
https://www.verywellhealth.com/living-well-with-hypertension-1764117
