As a chronic disease management specialist who’s helped many people take control of high blood pressure (BP), Pannaben Nangha, MD, and our team at Mansfield Primary Care Doctors know that a hypertension diagnosis can feel worrisome — especially when it happens in middle age.
That’s because untreated hypertension increases your risk of heart disease and stroke, two leading causes of death among aging adults in the United States. Luckily, the condition is also treatable, and knowing you have it is the first step toward better health.
When we take your BP, we’re assessing two forces: The first number measures the amount of force your blood exerts on your arteries when your heart beats (systolic pressure); the second number shows how much force your vessels are subjected to between beats, when your heart is resting (diastolic pressure).
BP measurements fall into four categories:
Approximately 1 in 2 American adults (48%) — or about 120 million Americans — have been diagnosed with hypertension; many millions more (about 1 in 5 adults) are living with this “silent killer” and don’t know it.
Only 10% of hypertension cases are “secondary” in nature, either because they’re a side effect of a prescription medication or they’re the product of an underlying health condition like sleep apnea, kidney disease, or a thyroid disorder.
In 90% of cases, high BP is diagnosed as primary hypertension, meaning it’s the result of a combination of factors like:
Luckily, these contributing causes of hypertension — many of which are modifiable — hold the key to understanding how to manage the condition successfully at any age.
Only about 1 in 4 adults (27%) with hypertension has the condition under control, but it doesn’t have to be this way: There’s a lot you can do to get your numbers down, and we’re here to help. For most people, effective blood pressure management involves:
Not everyone needs medication to lower their BP numbers. If you’ve been prescribed an anti-hypertensive drug, however, it’s important to take it as directed; with healthy lifestyle changes, you may not need to take your BP medicine indefinitely.
Managing any existing chronic health conditions, like diabetes, is critical to long-term BP control, too. Kicking unhealthy habits — quitting smoking and limiting your alcohol intake — also supports improved BP numbers.
Two key lifestyle changes, in particular, can help you lower your BP, keep it under control, and protect your long-term health in middle age and beyond. Let’s take a closer look:
Just as unhealthy eating patterns can raise your BP, making the switch to a heart-healthy diet can lower high BP numbers and keep them in a healthy range. In fact, establishing healthier eating patterns is one of the most important steps you can take to control your BP and reduce your heart attack and stroke risk.
Adopting the DASH diet — or the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension eating pattern — is one of the fastest and most effective ways to bring down your BP numbers.
Luckily, it’s not complicated: All heart-healthy diets emphasize fiber-rich vegetables and fruits, whole grains, nuts, and seeds along with lean proteins and unsaturated fats; at the same time, they carefully limit sodium, added sugars, and saturated fats.
A sedentary lifestyle can readily foster hypertension and heart disease, while an active lifestyle promotes well-regulated BP levels and a healthy heart. Aiming to get at least 150 minutes of moderately intense aerobic exercise each week is a good place to start. Aiming to get 30-60 minutes of exercise most days is even better.
You can break up your daily workout into shorter sessions and gain the same BP-lowering benefits — instead of taking one 60-minute walk a day, take three 20-minute walks when you can fit them in.
Any activity is better than nothing at all, even if that means getting started by simply increasing your daily movements — like making it a habit to get on your feet for 10 minutes after every 30-minute block of inactivity.
Ready to regain control of your BP numbers and your health? We can help. Call or click online to schedule a visit at Mansfield Primary Care Doctors in Mansfield, Texas, today.