Manage Blood Pressure To Help Manage Your Health

Quick: What’s your blood pressure (BP)? If you have no idea, you might also be in the dark about some serious effects of unmanaged high blood pressure (HBP), also called hypertension. Grave conditions like heart disease, heart failure, stroke and kidney failure can be caused by HBP, so it’s important to know where you stand.

Just what is blood pressure? It’s the force of blood pushing against our artery walls as our heart pumps out blood. If this pressure is too high for too long, it can damage our arteries, over-work our heart and damage other major organs. What’s worse: HBP usually has no symptoms, so you might be unaware of the damage it’s doing.

Get to know your numbers
When a blood pressure measurement is taken, two things are measured: systolic pressure and diastolic pressure. This is then expressed as a number, such as 120/70 (120 over 70). The first number, systolic, is the pressure when the heart is pumping blood; the second number, diastolic, is the pressure when the heart rests between beats.

This table from the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute shows normal numbers for adults (18 and over), and which numbers put you at greater risk for health problems.

Categories for blood pressure levels in adults

CATEGORY	SYSTOLIC (top number)		DIASTOLIC (bottom number)
Normal	Less than 120	And	Less than 80
Prehypertension	120–139	Or	80–89
High blood pressure
Stage 1	140–159	Or	90–99
Stage 2	160 or higher	Or	100 or higher

Note: If you have diabetes or chronic kidney disease, HBP is defined as 130/80 or higher. HBP numbers also differ for children and teens.

Age does make a difference: blood pressure tends to rise as we get older, making it even more important to keep it under control. If you’re a male older than 45 or a female older than 55, your risk for HBP is higher. About one-third of U.S. adults have HBP.

“White coat hypertension”: truth or myth?
There is a real health syndrome called “white coat hypertension” that has to do with medical checkups. Some people’s blood pressure readings are high only when they visit their healthcare provider’s office because they’re nervous or anxious. In these cases, the person might be asked to monitor their blood pressure at home, or to wear a device for a short time that takes blood pressure every 30 minutes. If you’re familiar enough with your numbers to know that your first reading is high (you may have to ask), request another reading at the end of your visit.

Taking the pressure off
If you have HBP, your healthcare provider may recommend lifestyle changes to help keep it under control, including:

• Following a healthy eating plan
• Getting enough physical activity
• Maintaining a healthy weight
• Quitting smoking
• Managing and learning to cope with stress

As research continues into HBP, science is also discovering some “tasty” ways to help take the pressure off, including these fascinating findings:

• Steering clear of table salt? Don’t pass on the potassium or magnesium at the same time. A recent review in the Journal of Clinical Hypertension found that the numbers go down when we boost our intake of fruits and vegetables like squash, bananas, dates and spinach.
• Chocolate-lovers, rejoice: Yale University researchers have found more evidence that antioxidants in dark chocolate can help lower BP.

If you don’t know your blood pressure, February’s Heart Health Month is the perfect time to give your heart a “valentine”: find out and, if needed, take action.

Source: TriVita VitaJournal February 2009 pg 14.