Effective Strategies for Managing and Preventing High Blood Pressure

Do you regularly monitor your blood pressure? If not, now is the time to begin regular checks, as May was High Blood Pressure Education Month—a month to start focusing on your heart health.

Stony Brook Medicine explains that high blood pressure “affects 1.13 billion people worldwide [and] occurs when there is increased pressure in the blood vessels that carry blood from your heart to the rest of your body.” It’s crucial for adults to know whether their blood pressure is elevated, as the risk for health problems increases when BP is high.

This strain on the heart can cause heart attacks and strokes. Additionally, high blood pressure “can also play a role in kidney failure, sexual dysfunction, cognitive decline, and pregnancy complications.” Because it often has no symptoms, it is frequently called the silent killer.

So, throughout this month, we encourage you to get in the habit of checking your blood pressure. Most pharmacies have monitors, or you can buy a portable one for your home. If you find that your BP is high, contact your doctor right away. It’s crucial for your long-term and overall health to take efforts now to lower your BP.

If you have a normal BP, great! If you are borderline, the doctor may just recommend lifestyle changes. If your BP is high, the doctor may not only recommend lifestyle changes but meds as well. But regardless of where you fall on the blood pressure spectrum, your overall health will benefit by taking the following preventative measures.

For instance, decrease the amount of sodium you eat, as sodium increases blood pressure. Begin by skipping the table salt, which is 40% sodium. The American Heart Association states that adults should have “no more than 2,300 milligrams of sodium a day,” with “the ideal limit” being “no more than 1,500 per day for most adults, especially for those with high blood pressure.” To put that into perspective, just ½ teaspoon of salt has 1,150 mg of sodium. But table salt isn’t the only culprit. Processed foods, some soups, deli meat, crackers and chips, and other such foods can be laden with sodium. Get in the habit of reading labels, of cooking healthy meals at home, and of limiting snacks or choosing foods like vegetables and fruits instead. When your sweet tooth cannot be satiated with fruits and vegetables, try Performance Inspired’s protein cookies or Inspired-Bar 2.0. The cookies have 15 grams of protein, and the bars have 20 grams. Both are great low-sodium snacks.

You may also need to lose weight, as heavier weight puts a strain on the heart. Try cutting back on carbs, adding more lean meats to your diet, eating heart-healthy snacks, and ditching processed foods.

Exercising is also a vital component in lowering BP and in losing weight. Try to get some form of exercise every day, even if it’s just a 15-20-minute walk around the block (although more is ideal; see the Mayo Clinic recommendations). Put down the phone at night and hit the gym or go for a jog. Do little things throughout the day to burn a few calories and get your heart pumping, such as taking the stairs instead of the elevator and getting up from your desk every hour to walk through the halls or to do some stretches or squats. The more you exercise, the better you will feel and the healthier your heart will become.

Additionally, limit your alcohol intake, as Johns Hopkins explains that “excessive alcohol intake can lead to high blood pressure, heart failure or stroke” and “can also contribute to cardiomyopathy, a disorder that affects the heart muscle.” For people without underlying health conditions, Johns Hopkins recommends moderate drinking at most, and it defines moderate “as an average of one drink per day for women and one or two for men.” Further, it explains, “A drink might be less than you think: 12 ounces of beer, 4 ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof spirits.” That’s not a lot, so become cognizant of how much alcohol you’re putting into your body. Try a large glass of water instead!

Further, understand that smoking, even vaping, increases the risk of both stroke and heart disease. The American Heart Association explains that “men and women ages 40-59 who smoked had about a 10% higher risk of developing some type of cardiovascular disease than those who didn’t smoke,” and it quoted a study that found that “smokers also developed cardiovascular disease up to five years earlier than nonsmokers.” If you smoke or vape, now is the time to stop.

We encourage you to pay special attention to your heart and promise yourself, and your family, that you will begin to make some heart-healthy changes. Your longevity depends on it.