The importance of Blood Pressure
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PrintWhat should my blood pressure be? Why does it matter how high my blood pressure is? Is this something that I should monitor?
Lots of questions about blood pressure measurement. Let's talk about why it is important.
High blood pressure can affect your body in negative ways.
- Brain: high blood pressure can be harmful for your brain and increase the risk of having a stroke.
- Heart and blood vessels: high blood pressure puts strain on your heart and every blood vessel that feels this high pressure. It also increases your risk of having a heart attack.
- Kidneys: high blood pressure can cause damage to your kidney or be caused by your kidneys. This also raises your risk of kideny failure.
So what is a normal blood pressure?
- Normal: less then 120 (top number, systolic) and less then 80 (bottom number, diastolic)
- At risk for high blood pressure: between 120-139 (top number, systolic) and 80-89 (bottom number, diastolic)
- High blood pressure: 140 or higher (top number, systolic) or 90 or higher (bottom number, diastolic)
Losing weight, eating healthy, restricting salt, being physically active and using alcohol in moderation can all help to decrease your blood pressure.
Exercise is good for your blood pressure becasue it can:
- lower your blood pressure
- increase your good cholesterol
- help to control your blood sugar levels
- help you to lose weight
- reduce stress, depression and anxiety
- improve your overall health
Do you use the salt shaker?
Eating too much salt in your diet can cause high blood pressure. Your goal should be to have less then 2300 mg of sodium per day. Do you read the nutrition labels on your food to know what your intake is? Here are some tips to decrease your salt intake:
- don't use salt when you cook
- don't add salt to your food without tasting it first
- eat more fresh fruits and vegetables
- avoid fast food
- decrease processed foods
- avoid pickled foods
- avoid canned soups and vegetables unless marked low sodium
- decrease cheese
- decreased salted snack foods
Limit your alcohol intake:
- women: no more than 1 drink per day
- men: no more than 2 drinks per day
