Blood pressure is one of those things that many people don’t think they need to pay attention to unless they get sick. However, high blood pressure is more common than you might think. One in three adults has high blood pressure, and that’s 65 million Americans! High blood pressure is often called the “silent killer” because 30% of those with high blood pressure don’t even know they have it. You might be one of them. 

Blood Pressure Readings

Everyone, at all ages, should know and monitor blood pressure, and not just once a year. Blood pressure can change from moment to moment, depending on what’s going on in your life. The only way to accurately represent your blood pressure is to take an average over several readings. It’s a good idea to take your blood pressure every month to keep track. It’s easy, you can go to the doctor and put your arm out,  and they’ll do a blood pressure check. You can also check out those automatic sleeves that you stick your arm in at many local pharmacies. If you do this every month, then you can know if blood pressure is one of your areas of concern or whether you don’t have to worry about it for now.

Blood pressure consists of two numbers: a top number, systolic, and a bottom number, diastolic. 

Systolic blood pressure is the pressure against your arteries when your heart pumps. The diastolic blood pressure is the pressure against your arteries when your heart is at rest, between pumps when the heart is meant to fill with blood. Traditional risk assessment criteria only looked at the systolic blood pressure, but high diastolic pressure is dangerous, too. If that number is high, that means your heart or your arteries can’t relax. That could mean your endothelium is already getting stiff, and there is no gentle passive filling of blood happening like it is supposed to. You should consider that a definite warning sign and see your doctor. 

Normal blood pressure is less than 120/80 mm Hg. Borderline high blood pressure or “pre-hypertension” is blood pressure between 120/80 to 139/89. Once you get to 140/90, you officially have high blood pressure, one of the major and well-understood risks for heart disease. A healthy artery relaxes, while an artery under high pressure is an artery that forces your heart to work too hard. If you have diabetes or have multiple risk factors and high blood pressure, you should probably consider medication because you don’t want to “wait out” high blood pressure. Even lifestyle changes may not work quickly enough (although they will certainly help lower your blood pressure).

Risk Factors Increase With Age

Blood pressure, like many of the risk factors, increases with age. My patients often tell me that they “never had high blood pressure before.” My response is, “You were never 50 before.” Inevitably, it’s the direction our bodies take unless we fight against the body’s tendency to do this.

You can start preparing new lifestyle habits before you ever get high blood pressure. If half of the 60-year-olds have high blood pressure, half don’t. Which side do you want to fall into when you turn 60? Practicing good dietary and exercise habits, cutting down on salt, keeping your weight under control, and managing your stress (stress has a considerable impact on blood pressure) are all ways to avoid high blood pressure later. 

Even if you already have high blood pressure and are on medication, lifestyle strategies are crucial to preserving your vitality. Your blood pressure number doesn’t exist in a vacuum. It’s a marker that says something about your entire body, mind, and life. If you start training with positive habits now, you can change the outcome. You might even be able to go off those pills with your doctor’s approval. 

Altering your lifestyle may feel a little uncomfortable at first, but you will soon feel a lot stronger and can focus on living a long, healthy life.