Cardiovascular Health and High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure (hypertension) raises your risk of heart disease and stroke. It is called "the silent killer" because it does not have any symptoms. The only way to know you have it is to have your blood pressure checked by a doctor.

Why high blood pressure matters
Blood pressure measures the amount of force it takes to move blood through your blood vessels. If the pressure is high, your heart has to work harder. This causes stress on your heart and other organs in your body.  It is that stress which increases your risk for heart problems.

Do you have high blood pressure?
If your doctor has not said anything to you, ask. Blood pressure is checked at every doctor visit.

Most doctors believe your blood pressure should be less than 140 over 90 (140/90). The first number, the "systolic," is the pressure when the heart beats and pushes your blood. The second number, the "diastolic," should be lower because it measures pressure when the heart is resting between beats. Your doctor will be concerned if either number is higher than it should be.

Blood Pressure Categories (Adults 18 and older)
Category	Systolic (mm/Hg)	Diastolic (mm/Hg)
Normal	130 or less	85 or less
High-Normal	130 to 139	85 to 89
High	140 or more	90 or more

For diabetics and those who are naturally at risk for high blood pressure such as African-Americans, doctors may want to see blood pressure readings below 140/90. An optimal reading is 120/80 or less.

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What can you do about it?
The good news is, high blood pressure can be controlled through diet, exercise and medication. Your doctor will help you make the best decisions for your specific situation. To reduce your high blood pressure, you may need to:

• Change your diet, use:
  
  1. Guidelines for nutrition,
     
  2. Tips on avoiding salt, and
  3. DASH Eating Plan (427KB PDF*).
     
     
• Increase your activity level
  Take the stairs, walk, swim, bike or dance, clean house, walk the dog, work in the yard.
  
  
• Quit smoking
  Smoking causes your blood vessels to narrow, which makes your heart work harder, increasing your blood pressure. If you already have high blood pressure, smoking makes it worse. Talk to your doctor about ways to help you stop smoking. You can find more help on this website, here:
  
  1. Wellness classes and community resources
  2. Tobacco Quit-line
     
  3. Priority Health's Tobacco Cessation program
     
  4. Log in to your personal Priority Health account and check out the tobacco cessation tools that can help you stop smoking.
     
     

• Set goals
  Set a goal for yourself to do one of these things:
  
  1. Write it on a goal sheet
     
  2. Show it to your doctor.

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