It seems like every month is an awareness month, and May is no exception. This month is Hypertension Awareness Month. Although that’s not something that rolls off the tongue too easily, I feel it’s so important for everybody to understand it.
So, if you are 18 or older, or know or care about someone who is 18 or older, listen up! Give me ten minutes of your time – you may help save a life. I’ve put in bold the take-home points if you’re reading on the run.
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), high blood pressure, or hypertension, is a disease, and even though it typically has no symptoms, high blood pressure can have deadly health consequences if not treated. Some facts from the American Heart Association:
- One in three adults has high blood pressure
- 74.5 million adults over age 20 in the United States have high blood pressure – it is not just an “illness of old folks”
- Among people with high blood pressure, almost 1 in 4 people don’t even know they have it
What is blood pressure and when is it high? Blood pressure measures the force pushing on the walls of your arteries. It’s given as a ratio of 2 numbers – the pressure in the arteries when the heart beats (the top or “systolic” number) and the pressure in the arteries between heartbeats (the bottom or “diastolic” number). A blood pressure reading of less than 120/80 is good, 120-139/80-89 is borderline or pre-hypertensive, and 140/90 or higher is defined as high blood pressure.
I think of hypertension as a silent killer. No one ever says, “It was so sad, Uncle Harry died of hypertension.” They usually say, “So-and-so died of cancer or a heart attack or a stroke.” But guess what? Hypertension is one of the major independent risk factors for having a heart attack or stroke.
It’s scary because it’s silent. Most people who have high blood pressure are walking around feeling just fine. Sadly, some people have high blood pressure most of their adult lives and are not aware of it …until it is too late.
Your chances of developing hypertension are influenced heavily by your genetics. That’s why it is useful to know if any of your parents or grandparents has it. When your doctor asks about your “family history,” be sure to share if anyone in your family has hypertension. But whether or not you develop high blood pressure is also influenced by factors that you can control.
Here are some things you can start doing TODAY to help decrease your chances of developing hypertension:
- Decrease sodium (salt) in your diet, aiming for no more than 2.5 grams (2,500 mg) of sodium a day.
- When cooking yourself, instead of using salt to season, play around with different spices.
- Be aware of lower salt options: a few examples are Salt Sense, or low-sodium soy sauce
- When at the supermarket, be aware that there is a lot of sodium in many prepared foods, premade sauces, canned soups and vegetables. Check labels! Look at the actual grams of sodium.
- Do not smoke. If you do smoke, then make an appointment with your doctor to outline a plan for quitting. Talk to people you know who have quit to see what has worked for them.
- Make sure you are at a healthy weight.
- Take measures to decrease your stress level.
- Start a light exercise program.
You may usually avoid doctors like the plague, but let me plead with you: go NOW to see your doctor and find out if you have normal blood pressure. This will help you avoid one silent killer, or tackle the problem early. Spread the word!