My doctor recently talked to me about high blood pressure, often known as hypertension. Meds were discussed, but I don’t want to be on medication for the rest of my life. That’s when I started to do some research.
What is Hypertension?
Hypertension is often referred to as the ‘silent killer’ because the symptoms aren’t present until there has already been significant damage to the heart. What happens is that there’s too much force to the blood against the artery walls. Stroke and heart disease can occur if this continues for too long.
Blood pressure is expressed as two numbers: systolic / diastolic.
Systolic: The pressure when the heart is beating.
Diastolic: the pressure when the heart is resting between beats.
A normal reading is 120/80, and you are considered hypertensive when you’re at 130/80 or higher.
What You Can Do to Prevent Hypertension
According to the CDC, healthy living habits are critical to prevent high blood pressure.
Here are some of the things that you can do:
- Focus on a healthy diet with lean protein, whole grains, and fruits and vegetables
- Reduce salt intake to less than 2300 mg per day
- Introduce regular physical activity, including 150 minutes of moderate aerobic exercise per week
- Maintain (or achieve) a healthy weight
- Limit alcohol use
- Reduce or eliminate tobacco use
Photo by Mufid Majnun on Unsplash
Discuss Your Concerns with a Doctor
It’s important to regularly monitor your blood pressure. If your blood pressure isn’t going down as you make various lifestyle changes, talk to your doctor. There may be underlying conditions that require attention.
By focusing on your health and making changes, it’s often possible to avoid hypertension – and the sooner you start, the healthier you can be.