{"id":140108,"date":"2025-02-04T21:16:02","date_gmt":"2025-02-05T02:16:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=140108"},"modified":"2025-02-04T21:16:02","modified_gmt":"2025-02-05T02:16:02","slug":"six-ways-to-control-high-blood-pressure-and-manage-hypertension","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/?p=140108","title":{"rendered":"Six ways to control high blood pressure and manage hypertension"},"content":{"rendered":"

From Capital Journal by Capital Blue Cross<\/b><\/a><\/span><\/p>\n

Managing your high blood pressure should be a no-brainer. In addition to lowering the risk of developing heart disease or stroke, there is mounting evidence that maintaining healthy blood pressure can also\u00a0benefit your brain<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Sustained high blood pressure is called\u00a0hypertension, which is measured using the chart below.\u00a0Nearly half of all U.S. adults have high blood pressure<\/a>; but only about 1 in 4 adults have it under control, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).<\/p>\n

What is considered high blood pressure?<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
Blood pressure category<\/th>\nSystolic mm Hg (upper number)<\/th>\nDiastolic mm Hg and\/or (lower number)<\/th>\n<\/tr>\n<\/thead>\n
Normal<\/td>\nLess than 120<\/td>\nand less than 80<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Elevated<\/td>\n120-129<\/td>\nand less than 80<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
High blood pressure (Hypertension, Stage 1)<\/strong><\/td>\n130-139<\/td>\nor 80-89<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
High blood pressure (Hypertension, Stage 2)<\/strong><\/td>\n140 or higher<\/td>\nor 90 or higher<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
Hypertension crisis (see your doctor immediately)<\/strong><\/td>\n180 or higher<\/td>\nand\/or higher than 120<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Source:\u00a0American Heart Association<\/a><\/p>\n

Dr. Jeremy Wigginton, Chief Medical Officer at Capital Blue Cross, said it is important that you get a blood pressure reading at your doctor\u2019s office once per year, especially as you age.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere are no symptoms of hypertension, and it can have serious impacts on your heart, brain, kidney, and even your vision,\u201d Dr. Wigginton said. \u201cKnowing your blood pressure and working with your doctor to lower it when your blood pressure becomes too high can have a dramatic effect on your health.\u201d<\/p>\n

What can you do about hypertension?<\/p>\n

Here are six ways to lower your blood pressure and prevent or manage hypertension:<\/p>\n

#1: Stay at a healthy weight<\/strong><\/p>\n

If you are overweight, losing as little as 10 pounds may lower your blood pressure, Dr. Wigginton said.<\/p>\n

Aim for moderate activity, such as walking in your neighborhood, for at least 150 minutes per week. This can be done with just two 15-minute walks a day for five days, or one 30-minute walk a day on weekdays. Or do vigorous activity for at least 75 minutes per week.<\/p>\n

#2: Limit salt intake<\/strong><\/p>\n

Too much sodium in your system causes the body to retain water, which puts an extra burden on your heart and blood vessels, according to the\u00a0American Heart Association<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Try to limit the amount of sodium you eat to less than 2,300 milligrams (mg) per day. If your blood pressure is especially high, your doctor may ask you to eat less than 1,500 mg a day.<\/p>\n

#3: Improve your sleep<\/strong><\/p>\n

A study of 12,000 adults found that people who reported having trouble sleeping and those with a sleep disorder, such as\u00a0sleep apnea<\/a>, were also at higher risk for hypertension.<\/p>\n

\u201cA regular lack of sleep may lead to high blood pressure,\u201d said Dr. Francisco Lopez-Jimenez, a cardiologist at the\u00a0Mayo Clinic<\/a>. \u201cThe less you sleep, the higher your blood pressure may go up. People who sleep six hours or less may have steeper increases in blood pressure.\u201d<\/p>\n

#4: Quit smoking and limit alcohol consumption<\/strong><\/p>\n

Smoking increases your risk for a heart attack or stroke.\u00a0If you need help quitting<\/a>, talk to your doctor about stop-smoking programs and medicines.<\/p>\n

Capital Blue Cross, for example, offers free preventive services to help people kick tobacco products for good, from 180-day prescription services to\u00a0smoking cessation counseling<\/a>.<\/p>\n

In addition to smoking, alcohol can raise blood pressure. Drink it in moderation, if at all.<\/p>\n

#5: Establish consistent habits<\/strong><\/p>\n

Lifestyle changes can be difficult to maintain over time. Dr. Wigginton recommends checking your blood pressure at home once every month as a way to monitor your progress. At-home blood pressure monitors are available to purchase online.<\/p>\n

\u201cSeeing small improvements can help you keep going with lifestyle changes or help you know when it\u2019s time to step up your game,\u201d Dr. Wigginton said.<\/p>\n

#6: Don\u2019t go it alone<\/strong><\/p>\n

Change can be difficult. If you are a member and need extra support, the care management team at Capital Blue Cross can help.<\/p>\n

Capital\u2019s team of registered nurses and licensed social workers can help you create a personalized care plan that empowers you to manage your hypertension.<\/p>\n

Learn more<\/a>.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Sources:<\/p>\n

Sustained high blood pressure may damage brain vessels | American Heart Association<\/a><\/p>\n

High Blood Pressure Facts | High Blood Pressure | CDC<\/a><\/p>\n

What is High Blood Pressure? | American Heart Association<\/a><\/p>\n

American Heart Association:\u00a0ML-025503.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n

Relationship between Sleep and Hypertension: Findings from the NHANES (2007\u20132014) – PMC<\/a><\/p>\n

Can a lack of sleep cause high blood pressure? – Mayo Clinic<\/a><\/p>\n

Capital Blue Cross:\u00a0Let’s quit smoking – together<\/a><\/p>\n

Capital Blue Cross:\u00a0Care Management<\/a><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

From Capital Journal by Capital Blue Cross Managing your high blood pressure should be a no-brainer. In addition to lowering the risk of developing heart disease or stroke, there is … Continue reading Six ways to control high blood pressure and manage hypertension<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":140109,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[5743,69],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-140108","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-capital-journal-by-capital-blue-cross","category-in-the-valley"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"acf":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/walking-dog.jpg","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140108"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=140108"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/140108\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/140109"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=140108"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=140108"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.thevalleyledger.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=140108"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}