Take control of your blood pressure
Anyone with a reading of 130/80 mm Hg or above is considered to have high blood pressure, or hypertension. Nearly half of American adults—about 45%—fall into this group.
The good news is that you may be able to bring your blood pressure readings into a safe range simply by making changes in your lifestyle, such as getting more physical activity, striving for a healthy weight, and reducing your salt intake.
Sedentary lifestyle
Compared with people who are physically active, those who are sedentary are more likely to develop hypertension and suffer heart attacks. Like any muscle, your heart gets stronger with exercise. A stronger heart pumps blood more efficiently, with less force, through your body.
Obesity
Excess weight and hypertension often go hand in hand, because carrying even a few extra pounds forces your heart to work harder. Being overweight increases the risk of high blood pressure approximately threefold. The risk continues to rise as body mass index progresses into the obesity range. By contrast, systolic and diastolic blood pressures drop an average of 1 mm Hg for roughly every pound or two of weight lost, although the actual amount varies widely from person to person.
Excess salt
A link between hypertension and table salt has been known for over 100 years. In the 1960s, Americans were told to reduce salt consumption in order to help prevent hypertension. However, the average amount of sodium in the American diet has risen since then, likely as the result of our growing reliance on salt-laden processed and prepared foods. While some people don't have sodium-sensitive increases in blood pressure, the majority of those with hypertension greatly benefit from reducing salt intake.
Heavy drinking
Having three or more drinks in one sitting temporarily increases your blood pressure. Over time, excessive drinking can have longer-lasting detrimental effects on blood pressure. Heavy drinking can interfere with blood pressure medications and may also boost the risk of stroke and heart failure. If you do drink, it's best to limit yourself to one alcoholic beverage per day.
Smoking
Whether you smoke a cigarette, chew tobacco, or absorb nicotine from a patch, your body responds to nicotine by releasing a stress hormone called epinephrine, which increases your heart rate and blood pressure, both while you're smoking and for some time afterward.
For more on getting your blood pressure under control, buy Controlling Your Blood Pressure, a Special Health Report from Harvard Medical School.
Image: © J_art | GettyImages
Disclaimer:
As a service to our readers, Harvard Health Publishing provides access to our library of archived content. Please note the date of last review or update on all articles.
No content on this site, regardless of date, should ever be used as a substitute for direct medical advice from your doctor or other qualified clinician.
