About two years ago, my doctor saw a pattern in my
blood pressure readings that indicated a problem. The readings were
consistently higher than previous readings in the past. I wasn’t worried
because I’d always had low blood pressure, so I figured that my readings had
moved in the right direction. How uninformed I was. I couldn’t have been more
wrong. The American Medical Association (AMA) recommends checking your blood pressure
every two years. A reading of 140/90 is categorized as hypertension ( a
systolic pressure — the top number — of 140 or above or a diastolic pressure —
the bottom number — of 90 or above). Since HBP is a problem for many African Americans, get your own blood pressure monitor and check you pressure at WalMart, drug stores and other outlets that have the necessary equipment.
My doctor prescribed a daily medication and, once
again, told me to lose weight and exercise regularly. He also gave me some guidelines
for proper eating. Overall, I heard him and I didn’t hear him. My lack of
tuning in on the conversation about this health issue left me at the mercy of a
silent killer.
Over the next two years, I worked hard to lose
weight and trimmed off 85 pounds. I joined Weight Watchers, established a
regular exercise routine, and made drastic changes to my eating habits. My
focus was managing my diabetes and I gave little thought to controlling my high
blood pressure. After several changes in my HBP medication, my blood pressure stabilized.
The smile on my face mirrored the sense of accomplishment in my heart. Little
did I know that I had much more to learn.
While one in three Americans suffers with
hypertension, one of the big problems is that most people don’t experience any
symptoms beyond an occasional headache. Blood pressure rises and falls over the
course of the day. When it becomes elevated most of the time, it becomes
dangerous because the heart is working too hard. Hypertension (HBP) occurs when
the flow of blood from your heart out of your body is exerting too much force
on the artery walls. Overstretched and weakened artery walls can lead to rupture,
to aneurysm or to hemorrhagic stroke.
High Blood Pressure can contribute to damage to
artery walls and encourage the buildup of cholesterol and plaque in the blood
vessels (atherosclerosis). Buildup of plaque means that the arteries are less
flexible or less able to expand. Various organs and tissues may not be getting
enough blood, leading to problems such as kidney disease, peripheral artery
disease and even blindness. HBP can lead to coronary artery disease, heart
attack and stroke. Other complications
of HBP are memory loss, angina, erectile dysfunction, aortic dissection and
fluid in the lungs.
The keys to thwarting this silent killer are
prevention and control. Lifestyle plays an important role in treating your high
blood pressure. If you successfully control your blood pressure with a healthy
lifestyle, you may avoid, delay or reduce the need for medication. Here are eight
suggestions from the Mayo Clinic:
1. Lose extra pounds and watch
your waistline
Blood
pressure often increases as weight increases. Losing just 10 pounds (4.5
kilograms) can help reduce your blood pressure. In general, the more weight you
lose, the lower your blood pressure. Losing weight also makes any blood
pressure medications you're taking more effective. You and your doctor can
determine your target weight and the best way to achieve it.
Besides
shedding pounds, you should also keep an eye on your waistline. Carrying too
much weight around your waist can put you at greater risk of high blood
pressure. In general:
Men
are at risk if their waist measurement is greater than 40 inches (102
centimeters, or cm).
Women
are at risk if their waist measurement is greater than 35 inches (89 cm).
Asian
men are at risk if their waist measurement is greater than 36 inches (91 cm).
Asian
women are at risk if their waist measurement is greater than 32 inches (81 cm).
2. Exercise regularly
Regular
physical activity — at least 30 to 60 minutes most days of the week — can lower
your blood pressure by 4 to 9 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). And it doesn't
take long to see a difference. If you haven't been active, increasing your
exercise level can lower your blood pressure within just a few weeks.
If you have
pre-hypertension — systolic pressure between 120 and 139 or diastolic pressure
between 80 and 89 — exercise can help you avoid developing full-blown
hypertension. If you already have hypertension, regular physical activity can
bring your blood pressure down to safer levels.
Talk to your
doctor about developing an exercise program. Your doctor can help determine
whether you need any exercise restrictions. Even moderate activity for 10
minutes at a time, such as walking and light strength training, can help.
But avoid
being a "weekend warrior." Trying to squeeze all your exercise in on
the weekends to make up for weekday inactivity isn't a good strategy. Those
sudden bursts of activity could actually be risky.
3. Eat a healthy diet
Eating
a diet that is rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy
products and skimps on saturated fat and cholesterol can lower your blood
pressure by up to 14 mm Hg. This eating plan is known as the Dietary Approaches
to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet.
It
isn't easy to change your eating habits, but with these tips, you can adopt a
healthy diet:
Keep
a food diary.
Writing down what you eat, even for just a week, can shed surprising light on
your true eating habits. Monitor what you eat, how much, when and why.
Consider
boosting potassium.
Potassium can lessen the effects of sodium on blood pressure. The best source
of potassium is food, such as fruits and vegetables, rather than supplements.
Talk to your doctor about the potassium level that's best for you.
Be
a smart shopper.
Make a shopping list before heading to the supermarket to avoid picking up junk
food. Read food labels when you shop and stick to your healthy-eating plan when
you're dining out, too.
Cut
yourself some slack.
Although the DASH diet is a lifelong eating guide, it doesn't mean you have to
cut out all of the foods you love. It's OK to treat yourself occasionally to
foods you wouldn't find on a DASH diet menu, such as a candy bar or mashed
potatoes with gravy.
4. Reduce sodium in your diet
Even
a small reduction in the sodium in your diet can reduce blood pressure by 2 to
8 mm Hg. The recommendations for reducing sodium are:
Limit
sodium to 2,300 milligrams (mg) a day or less.
A
lower sodium level — 1,500 mg a day or less — is appropriate for people 51
years of age or older, and individuals of any age who are African-American or
who have high blood pressure, diabetes or chronic kidney disease.
To
decrease sodium in your diet, consider these tips:
Track
how much salt is in your diet. Keep a food diary to estimate how much
sodium is in what you eat and drink each day.
Read
food labels.
If possible, choose low-sodium alternatives of the foods and beverages you
normally buy.
Eat
fewer processed foods. Potato chips, frozen dinners, bacon and processed
lunch meats are high in sodium.
Don't
add salt.
Just 1 level teaspoon of salt has 2,300 mg of sodium. Use herbs or spices,
rather than salt, to add more flavor to your foods.
Ease
into it.
If you don't feel like you can drastically reduce the sodium in your diet
suddenly, cut back gradually. Your palate will adjust over time.
5. Limit the amount of alcohol
you drink
Alcohol
can be both good and bad for your health. In small amounts, it can potentially
lower your blood pressure by 2 to 4 mm Hg. But that protective effect is lost
if you drink too much alcohol — generally more than one drink a day for women
and men older than age 65, or more than two a day for men age 65 and younger.
Also, if you don't normally drink alcohol, you shouldn't start drinking as a
way to lower your blood pressure. There's more potential harm than benefit to
drinking alcohol.
If
you drink more than moderate amounts of it, alcohol can actually raise blood
pressure by several points. It can also reduce the effectiveness of high blood
pressure medications.
Track
your drinking patterns. Along with your food diary, keep an alcohol diary
to track your true drinking patterns. One drink equals 12 ounces (355
milliliters, or mL) of beer, 5 ounces of wine (148 mL) or 1.5 ounces of
80-proof liquor (45 mL). If you're drinking more than the suggested amounts,
cut back.
Consider
tapering off.
If you're a heavy drinker, suddenly eliminating all alcohol can actually
trigger severe high blood pressure for several days. So when you stop drinking,
do it with the supervision of your doctor or taper off slowly, over one to two
weeks.
Don't
binge.
Binge drinking — having four or more drinks in a row — can cause large and
sudden increases in blood pressure, in addition to other health problems.
6. Avoid tobacco products and
secondhand smoke
On
top of all the other dangers of smoking, the nicotine in tobacco products can
raise your blood pressure by 10 mm Hg or more for up to an hour after you
smoke. Smoking throughout the day means your blood pressure may remain
constantly high.
You
should also avoid secondhand smoke. Inhaling smoke from others also puts you at
risk of health problems, including high blood pressure and heart disease.
7. Cut back on caffeine
The
role caffeine plays in blood pressure is still debatable. Drinking caffeinated
beverages can temporarily cause a spike in your blood pressure, but it's
unclear whether the effect is temporary or long lasting.
To
see if caffeine raises your blood pressure, check your pressure within 30
minutes of drinking a cup of coffee or another caffeinated beverage you
regularly drink. If your blood pressure increases by five to 10 points, you may
be sensitive to the blood pressure raising effects of caffeine.
8. Reduce your stress
Stress
or anxiety can temporarily increase blood pressure. Take some time to think
about what causes you to feel stressed, such as work, family, finances or
illness. Once you know what's causing your stress, consider how you can
eliminate or reduce stress.
If
you can't eliminate all of your stressors, you can at least cope with them in a
healthier way. Take breaks for deep-breathing exercises. Get a massage or take
up yoga or meditation. If self-help doesn't work, seek out a professional for
counseling.
Supportive
family and friends can help improve your health. They may encourage you to take
care of yourself, drive you to the doctor's office or embark on an exercise
program with you to keep your blood pressure low. Talk to your family and
friends about the dangers of high blood pressure.
If
you find you need support beyond your family and friends, consider joining a
support group. This may put you in touch with people who can give you an
emotional or morale boost and who can offer practical tips to cope with your
condition.
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