Tag: hypertension

Lower your Blood Pressure with Doable Lifestyle Changes

Posted on by Judah

Many seniors are in  prehypertension, that borderline stage where your blood pressure is at the highest end of normal. If your blood pressure is consistently 120/80 or higher, it’s a warning sign that you may develop full-blown hypertension. Chronic high blood pressure drastically increases your risk of heart attack, stroke, heart disease, heart failure, and kidney failure. People with high blood pressure can make some changes in their lifestyle today to avoid developing hypertension.

Exercise in intervals throughout the day

If you’re not used to exercising, it can be hard to start doing an hour-long workout every day. Instead, exercise in short bursts several times each day. Take a short break to run on the treadmill for five minutes, or sprint around the block. Aim to get 30 minutes of exercise in total. That’s just three 10-minute breaks a day.

Reduce your stress

Anxiety and stress have been proven to temporarily raise your blood pressure. It’s unclear if the behaviors associated with stress—drinking alcohol, overeating, or sleeping poorly—cause hypertension, or whether the constant blood pressure spikes are the culprit. Either way, long-term stress is linked to hypertension. For tips on reducing stress and anxiety, read our previous blog post, Take a Break From Stress.

Take a nap

If your schedule allows it, take a one-hour nap every day. It’s been proven to lower blood pressure and may help you avoid blood pressure medication. Just make sure napping doesn’t make it hard to fall asleep at night. Poor sleeping habits are a risk factor for hypertension, so it’s important to get a good night’s sleep.

Don’t drink as much

While you don’t have to give up drinking completely—red wine is actually linked to heart health—reduce your intake if you’re in prehypertension. Drinking too much alcohol can cause high blood pressure, but studies show heavy drinkers can improve their average blood pressure by cutting back to one drink a day. For reference, a drink of alcohol means 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or a shot and a half of whiskey or vodka.

Watch your caffeine

Drinking coffee may contribute to higher blood pressure in some people. One theory is that caffeine blocks a hormone that helps keep the arteries widened. Caffeine doesn’t seem to cause high blood pressure in everyone, but if you’re in prehypertension, ask your doctor if limiting caffeine could help improve your numbers.

 

White Coat Hypertension: It’s Real

Posted on by Judah

doctor taking elderly woman's blood pressure

Does going to the doctor stress you out? Does it stress you out enough to cause your blood pressure to shoot up? If so, you have “white coat” hypertension—a real medical condition where your blood pressure is abnormally high at the doctor’s office. Up to 30 percent of Americans display this syndrome, sometimes resulting in a misdiagnosis of hypertension.

White Coat Syndrome: How is it Diagnosed?

If you have high blood pressure at the doctor’s office, you may want to be tested for white coat hypertension. Your doctor will suggest you come back for a second reading. If at the second reading your blood pressure is also high, your doctor may recommend you check your blood pressure out of the office. You’ll use either a home monitor or an ambulatory blood pressure monitor. An ABPM is a device worn by the patient for 24 hours that measures their blood pressure at various times throughout the day. Your doctor will then compare the readings with the in-office readings.

If your blood pressure is normal all of the time except when you’re at the clinic, you will receive the white coat diagnosis.

White Coat Syndrome: No Big Deal?

You’d be forgiven for thinking white coat hypertension isn’t a big deal. After all, your blood pressure is normal most of the time. However, new data says that’s not the case.  According to a new study, the risk of death is nearly twice as high for patients with white coat hypertension, compared to patients with normal blood pressure.

White Coat Syndrome: How to Treat?

If you have white coat syndrome, the best thing to do is to take your blood pressure regularly at home. If your blood pressure increases from going to the doctor’s office, it’s likely to increase from many other stressors as well. Monitoring your blood pressure at home—with your doctor’s guidance—will provide a lot of insight into what affects your blood pressure. It will also help alert you and your doctor if you become truly hypertensive.

In general, a good way to keep your blood pressure down is to practice stress-relief techniques, particularly before an appointment. Read my article about reducing stress for some great ways to prepare for your next doctor’s visit.