Wellness

WHAT IS HYPERTENSION?

High blood pressure, or hypertension, refers to a condition in which the blood is pumped around the body at a higher pressure. If you have high blood pressure, the force of the blood pushing against the artery walls is consistently too high. The heart has to work harder to pump blood.

RISKS OF HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

If your blood pressure is too high, it puts extra strain on your blood vessels, heart and other organs, such as the brain, kidneys and eyes.

Persistent high blood pressure can increase your risk of a number of serious and potentially life-threatening health conditions, such as:

• Heart disease
• Heart attacks
• Strokes
• Heart failure
• Peripheral arterial disease
• Aortic aneurysms
• Kidney disease
• Vascular dementia

If you have high blood pressure, reducing it even a small amount can help lower your risk of these health conditions.

RISK FACTORS

It’s not always clear what causes high blood pressure, but there are things that can increase your risk.

You might be more at risk if you:

• Are overweight
• Eat too much salt and do not eat enough fruit and vegetables
• Do not do enough exercise and physical activities
• Drink too much alcohol or coffee (or other caffeine-based drinks)
• Smoke
• Do not get much sleep or have disturbed sleep
• Have a history of hypertension in your family

Making healthy lifestyle changes can sometimes help reduce your chances of getting high blood pressure and help lower your blood pressure if it’s already high.

LIFESTYLE TIPS TO LOWER YOUR RISK OF HYPERTENSION

If you have risk factors for hypertension, you can take steps now to lower your risk for the condition and its complications

Add fruits and vegetables to your diet

Limit refined sugar

Try to limit the amount of sugar-sweetened foods, like flavored yogurts, cereals, and sodas, you eat on a daily basis. Packaged foods hide unnecessary sugar, so be sure to read labels.

Reduce sodium intake

The best way to reduce sodium is to cook fresh foods more often and limit the amount of fast food or prepackaged food you eat, which can sometimes be very high in sodium.

Reduce intake of raw salt.

Set weight loss goals

This can be achieved through a more nutritious diet and increased physical exercise.

Monitor your blood pressure regularly

The best way to prevent complications and avoid problems is to recognize hypertension early.

Keep a log of your blood pressure readings and take it to your regular doctor appointments. This can help your doctor see any possible problems before the condition advances.

LEARN HOW TO READ AND MONITOR YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE.