Hypertension
What is Hypertension?
Hypertension is a very common condition. It’s also known as high blood pressure.
High blood pressure means that yourblood is consistently pushing too forcefully against the walls of your blood vessels. This can damage your blood vesselsand force your heart to work harder to pump blood.
Hypertensionincreases the risk of other health issues like heart disease, heart attack, stroke, and kidney disease.
The good news is that there are many ways you can reduce your blood pressure!
In This Article:
What Causes Hypertension?
There are several risk factors that can lead to hypertension, including:
- Being overweightor having obesity
- Eating too much salt and not enough fruits and vegetables
- Drinking too much alcohol
- Lack of exercise
- Lack of sleep
- Excess stress
- Age (people over 65 are at higher risk of hypertension)
- Family history of hypertension
Diagnosing Hypertension
Some people with hypertension may notice symptoms like headaches, shortness of breath, or nosebleeds. But most people don’thave any symptoms, which is why it’simportant to get regularblood pressure screenings.
You will probably befamiliar with blood pressure screenings. A doctor places a cuff around your arm, which takes two measurements:
- Systolic pressure – this is the pressure in your arteries when your heart is beating
- Diastolic pressure – this is the pressure in your arteries between heart beats
Taken together, these two numbers are your blood pressure reading, measured in millimeters of mercury (mm HG).
A healthy or optimalblood pressure is 120/80 mmHG (systolic pressure/diastolic pressure)orless, as measuredrepeatedly and on at least two separate occasions.
“Normal” blood pressure may be slightly different from person to person. TheAmerican Heart Association is a good resource for more information, including general guidelines for what is considered elevated blood pressure and hypertension.1
Talk to your doctor about your blood pressure goal.
Treating Hypertension
Lifestyle changes are often the first step to lowering your blood pressure. These include steps like:
- Eating a heart-healthy diet, which includes plenty of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean poultry and oily fish that are high in omega-3 fatty acids
- Exercising regularly
- Reducing your sodium intake
- Increasing potassium intake
- Keeping your weight at a healthy level
- Stopping smoking
- Getting enough sleep.
Healthy lifestyle habits are the best way toreduce the risk of hypertension. Some people may also need medication to help them control their blood pressure. Always check with your doctor before taking any new medications.
How Hypertension Affects Lung Health
Hypertension is one of the most common conditions that occurs alongside respiratory disease. This is most likely because respiratory diseases lead to decreased levels of oxygen in the body, and this can stress your heart and blood vessels, making it work harder. 2
Having a chronic respiratory disease can be stressful, and stress can raise your blood pressure. Some respiratory medications, like albuterol, may also temporarily increase your heart rate, which could raise your blood pressure.
If you are taking your blood pressure at home, don’t measure it immediately after taking albuterol or other respiratory medications. To get an accurate reading, remember also to take multiple readings throughout the day, be aware of your stress level or emotional state when you take a reading, and don't cross your legs when the blood pressure cuff is on.
What You Can Do Today
It’s never too late to adopt healthy lifestyle habits to maintain a healthy blood pressure:
- Get your blood pressure checked by your doctor, and speak to him/her about any family history of hypertension
- Limit your salt and alcohol intake
- Consider ways to reduce stress. Diaphragmatic breathing, pursed lip breathing, and mediation are excellent stress-busters—you can follow along with these Wellinks videos
- Get moving! Exercise helps you maintain a healthy blood pressure, and Wellinks has plenty of resources to get you moving safely
Resources
1. American Heart Association: https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blood-pressure
2. Medical News Today: https://bit.ly/3Ih6YvG