Blood Pressure
Blood pressure is the force of the blood against the walls of the blood vessels. It is measured in the form of a fraction. The top number refers to the systolic pressure and the bottom number refers to the diastolic pressure.
Systolic pressure is measured as the heart contracts to pump out blood. Diastolic pressure is measured as the heart relaxes to allow blood flow into the heart.
A person's blood pressure will vary depending upon such factors as stress, physical activity, general health, emotions, cardiovascular fitness and medications being taken.
What is high blood pressure?
High blood pressure or hypertension is a medical condition in which arterial blood vessels increase the resistance to blood flow causing the blood to exert excessive pressure against the blood vessel walls. The heart has to work harder to pump blood through the narrower arteries.
Hypertension is called a "silent killer" because it does not cause symptoms unless it is severely high and without your knowing it, causes major organ damage if not treated. Sustained high blood pressure is a risk factor for serious medical conditions such as stroke, heart failure, kidney failure and heart attack.
Who gets high blood pressure?
High blood pressure or hypertension affects 25% of people living in North America and almost 1/3 of those people are unaware of their condition.
|
Systolic
(top #) |
|
Diastolic
(bottom #) |
IUHC
Recommendation |
|
Normal |
< 120 |
AND |
< 80 |
Recheck every 2 years |
|
Pre-hypertension |
120-139 |
OR
|
80-89 |
Recheck every 1 year |
|
Stage 1 hypertension |
140-159 | OR
|
90-99 |
See medical provider for advice |
|
Stage 2 hypertension |
160 + | OR
|
100 + |
See medical provider for advice |
Source:
Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure
Lifestyle steps for lowering blood pressure
Lifestyle suggestions and sometimes medication are used to control high blood pressure. Your medical provider will discuss possible medical options with you. The following lifestyle changes have been shown by careful research to lower blood pressure.
1) Lose excess weight
More than half of those with high blood pressure and many with pre-hypertension are overweight or obese. Losing excess weight will reduce systolic pressure. Schedule an appointment in Health & Wellness Education, 855-7338, to speak with a Registered Dietitian about weight loss or talk with your medical provider about a plan for weight control.
2) Adopt the DASH eating plan
The DASH diet emphasizes fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy and has less saturated fat than the typical American diet. Schedule an appointment with the Registered Dietitian at 855-7338 for details or see: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov
3) Dietary sodium restriction
Keep sodium to no more than 2,400 milligrams per day. Choose less processed food to reduce sodium. Read labels to check for sodium content.
4) Physical activity
Engage in regular aerobic activity such as brisk walking at least 30 minutes a day on most days of the week.
5) Moderation of alcohol consumption
Men - limit 2 per day.
Women and lighter, smaller men - 1 per day.
Do not start drinking if you do not use alcohol. These recommendations are for those who already drink to reduce alcohol consumption.
6) Stop smoking
Quitting smoking will improve heart health and will reduce risk of cardiovascular disease in those people with high blood pressure.
*An elevated single blood pressure may not always mean that you have high blood pressure. For some people, just being in a medical setting causes their blood pressure to rise. This is commonly referred to as "white-coat-syndrome." Your medical provider may request that you return to the IU Health Center for a Blood Pressure Series where your blood pressure will be monitored for several days. |
