The holidays are fast approaching, making this the perfect time to talk about high blood pressure. Ok, we’re kidding — all jokes aside, maintaining normal blood pressure is crucial to our health. High blood pressure can lead to serious problems, including stroke, vision loss, heart failure, heart attack, kidney disease and failure, sexual dysfunction, and even death.
According to the CDC, nearly half of all adults in the US have high blood pressure, also known as hypertension. That’s 108 million people! Of those 108 million, only about 1 in 4 have their hypertension under control.
Your Blood Pressure: What’s Normal and What’s Not
Blood pressure is the pressure of your blood pushing against the walls of your arteries as it travels to and from your heart. It’s measured in millimeters of mercury and is recorded by taking your systolic and diastolic values. The systolic measurement is the pressure in your arteries during the contraction of your heart muscle (when blood pumps out of your heart and into the arteries). Your diastolic pressure is the measurement of your blood pressure when your heart is resting between beats. The result is written as systolic over diastolic; for example, 110/70.
Normal blood pressure is considered anything less than 120 systolic and less than 80 diastolic. Elevated blood pressure occurs when your systolic numbers are between 120-129 and your diastolic numbers are less than 80. High blood pressure, or hypertension, begins occurring when systolic numbers measure 130-139 and diastolic numbers measure 80-89. This is also known as Stage 1 Hypertension. Stage 2 Hypertension occurs when blood pressure is 140/90 or higher.
Stage 3, which is considered a Hypertensive Crisis, is anything higher than 180/120. You should seek immediate medical treatment if your blood pressure is above 180/120. Signs of a Hypertensive Crisis can include shortness of breath, chest pain, difficulty speaking, or weakness.
Normal blood pressure is essential in maintaining good cardiovascular and circulatory health. High blood pressure overworks the heart and blood vessels, and over time will damage the tissue inside the arteries. That’s when LDL cholesterol forms plaque along the small tears in the artery walls. The more plaque builds up and the more damage to the arteries, the smaller the insides of the arteries become. This, in turn, raises blood pressure and starts a dangerous cycle, which can lead to arrhythmia, stroke and heart attack.
How You Can Have Healthy Blood Pressure
You can make lifestyle changes to reduce or avoid high blood pressure. In fact, according to this article in Harvard Health Publishing, making the following changes to your daily routine and eating habits have been shown to lower blood pressure as much as medication can, and sometimes even more.*
1. Keep your weight in a healthy range. Weight loss is one of the best ways you can control blood pressure. Carrying too much weight around your waistline puts you at even greater risk for hypertension, so watch your waistline in particular.
2. Exercise half an hour most days of the week. Do something that’s fun for you and gets your heart pumping, such as swimming, biking, or dancing. Strength training has also been shown to reduce hypertension. To get both cardio and strength training in one workout, try HIIT! High Intensity Interval Training combines short bursts of cardio with resistance training. YouTube is full of free exercise channels like PopSugar, Body by Amy, and more.
3. Eat a healthy diet. Sodium is a big culprit of hypertension, so avoid adding salt to your food and cut down on processed foods, which are usually high in sodium. Eat more foods like bananas, sweet potatoes, cooked broccoli, mushrooms, peas, and cooked spinach, which are good sources for potassium. Potassium not only helps reduce the sodium in your body, it also helps reduce tension in your blood vessel walls.
4. Avoid alcohol, and cut down on caffeine.
5. Reduce stress. Try meditation, a long walk outside, or simply sitting quietly and paying attention to your breathing. Process your feelings and thoughts in a journal, make time for activities you enjoy, and say no to tasks and requests that you know you don’t have time for. There are some great apps you can download to help manage stress in your life. Try Headspace for meditation and mindfulness, Penzu for recording your thoughts and feelings, and Cozi for helping keep your family organized so you can prioritize what’s really important.
Support with Supplements
If your blood pressure is in the normal range, give it some healthy support with an all-natural, synthetic-free supplement. For optimum health, choose supplements that are manufactured in the USA in an FDA-approved facility.
New Sun offers several products to support healthy blood pressure, including Blood Pressure Support, an all-natural blend of herbs like Hawthorn, Black Cohosh, and Garlic, all of which have been shown to contribute to healthy blood pressure levels.
Still have questions about how you can have healthy blood pressure? Give New Sun a call! We’re here to answer all your questions about blood pressure, as well as other ways you can live a healthy, balanced life!
*If you are currently taking medication for high blood pressure, always consult with your doctor before making any changes in taking your medication, or before starting a new eating or exercise regimen.
