06 Jul Understanding High Blood Pressure and Hypertension
So, you’ve just left your doctor’s office and have been told that your blood pressure is too high. Your doctor used terms such as elevated and hypertension. Unfortunately, this is not the first time that this has happened. At your last visit, you were told the same thing, so you began to monitor it for awhile, but yet here we are.
Now what? What does this even mean? Why have I been prescribed this new medication? What happens if I don’t take it? Are there any natural ways to lower my blood pressure? What numbers or ranges should I look for or be concerned about?
Hey, hey, don’t worry. We will discuss all of this in this post. The goal here is to break down this complex subject and to keep it as simple as possible.
First, let’s discuss exactly what blood pressure is and what it measures. As we know, our blood moves from our heart to other parts of our body. This movement from the heart to, let’s say our arms and legs, is carried through our arteries.
Ok, as that blood moves through the arteries, it puts pressure on the arterial walls. So when the heart contracts and pushes blood out, this is when our blood pressure is at it’s highest and is know as systolic pressure. This is the top reading for your blood pressure. Got it? So heart at work equals systolic pressure which is that top number in blood pressure readings.
When the heart rests or relaxes between beats to allow blood to fill back in in order to be used again by the body, this pressure is lower and is called your diastolic pressure.
So as you see, your blood pressure reading is comprised of two numbers. If your top reading is 120 and your bottom reading is 80, then this blood pressure would be read as 120/80 (120 over 80) with 120 being your systolic pressure and 80 being your diastolic pressure.
Quick note, blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury so that’s what the mm Hg reading means, in case you have noticed that in your medical records.
Keep in mind, that this is just a unit of measurement that is used for pressure, such as feet and inches are used for height and pounds and kilograms are used for weight. Let’s not over complicate the measurement.
What SHOULD my blood pressure be?
Blood pressure readings are currently broken down into five ranges. No need to worry, we will keep this simple. As a matter of fact, let’s toss it into a table for easy reading.
| Normal | Less than 120/80mm Hg. | Continue your healthy habits of proper diet and exercise |
| Elevated | Routine Readings that range 120-129 systolic/ less than 80 mm Hg diastolic. | It is in this stage that it is important to monitor the trends associated with your blood pressure readings. Begin a log, take your blood pressure at different times during the day and record your activities and the way that you feel at those times. |
| Hypertension Stage 1 | Routine Readings that range 130-139 systolic or 80-89mm Hg diastolic. | Your physician may prescribed specific lifestyle changes tailored to your specific need. Depending on your risk for other injuries such as a heart attack or stroke. |
| Hypertension Stage 2 | Routine readings that range 140/90 mm Hg or higher. | Often times, what we see here are a combination of both lifestyle changes + prescribed medications. It’s imperative that these numbers begin to come down and that less stress is being produced by the heart and against the arterial walls. |
| Hypertensive Crisis | Routine Readings that exceed 180/120 mm Hg. | If combined with symptoms such as headache, SOB, chest pain, numbness/sudden weakness, slurred speech, drooping of the face, back pain, dizziness, blurred vision, or other irregular symptoms, call 911.
If no other symptoms, it is possible that you may wait 5-10 minutes and retake. Ensure that you have taken any prescribed medications and if it remains high, contact your physician immediately. |
Ok. Let’s pause here for a minute and take a brief rest. So far, we now understand exactly what blood pressure is, how it’s measured and the five ranges that those numbers fall into. We also now know when and why medications may be prescribed. Now, let’s discuss lifestyle changes that may assist in lowering our blood pressure.
Lifestyle Changes
As we dive into lifestyle changes that assist in lowering blood pressure, please keep in mind that all of these may or may not relate to you. Just take what you will and leave the rest.
First, let’s cover the obvious.
Diet and Exercise
Regarding our diets, cutting back on refined carbohydrates, sugar, and processed foods in general are excellent starts. Decreasing the consumption of processed foods will automatically decrease your intake of sodium which raises blood pressure in some individuals.
Adding foods that are rich in potassium such as greens, spinach, broccoli, mushrooms, and bananas aid in decreasing or lowering our blood pressure by easing the tension in the blood vessels as well as by decreasing the amount of sodium (salt) in our systems.
Increase Activity Level
As human beings, we were created for movement. It is important to note that not all movement has to be specific to exercise alone. Cleaning our homes, completing yard work,
caring for little ones, volunteering, and activities as such all assist in improving our levels of activity.
Intentional exercise is important as well. It is recommended by the American Heart Association that we get in at least 150 minutes of aerobic activity that is of moderate-intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous aerobic activity per week, spread throughout the week.
An easy hack to this would be to simply find an activity that you enjoy such a walking, running, swimming, dancing, or even going on a bike ride. Completing an activity as such with a friend may help you to become even more consistent while strengthening the relationship.
Lose Excess Weight
Noticeable changes in blood pressure can happen by losing just ten pounds. Also, other than the number on the scale, visceral fat, which is the extra fat around our waistline, has a tendency to surround organs in our abdominal area, leading to even greater health problems, with high blood pressure just being one of them.
Stop Smoking and Limit Alcohol
Did you know that blood pressure temporarily increases with each cigarette that is smoked. Also, for heavy smokers, it is possible for your blood pressure to remain elevated for hours. Please note, this includes all forms of nicotine. Also, note that second hand smoke has the potential to put you at risk for high blood pressure and heart disease as well.
Alcohol also increases blood pressure temporarily while binging and increased consumption can cause blood pressure to be elevated for an extended period of time.
Decrease Stress
This is our last suggestion, however, there’s a chance that this may be one of the most significant changes that may be made, next to losing excess weight. In today’s society our expectations and demands for one person can be overwhelming and unfortunately, also unrealistic.
Stress has the power to temporarily raise blood pressure, while chronic stress can keep it elevated for extended periods of time.
Allowing yourself just a few minutes to pause and breath deeply throughout the day, creating moments for prayer and/or meditation, participating in yoga, taking a relaxing bath or shower, lighting a candle, listening to music, or even talking to a family member or friend are all ways that may assist in decreasing stress, which in return may assist in decreasing your blood pressure.
For more simple explanations regarding understanding or managing health conditions for yourself or a loved one, please visit us and join our community at Happily Ever After Senior Living, where we help individuals understand and manage their health while building a life that they truly love.
We also recommend visiting the American Heart Association as well as the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for additional information regarding the subject matter discussed in this blog post.
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