Be in the know about what causes high blood pressure and what could point toward having it!
Unfortunately, high blood pressure is a much more common disease than most would believe. The American Heart Association’s 2023 report revealed that almost half of all American adults over the age of 20 have hypertension. This accounts for more than 122 million people, and that is not a small number by any means. The most surprising thing is that a lot of these people may not even know that they are at risk of hypertension or even exhibit signs of this medical issue, which just puts them at increased risk of other health issues.
In order to help you understand hypertension and also recognize the signs that you may have it so that you can go and talk to your doctor about it, we have gathered all the relevant information about this disease and its symptoms. The best course of action is to be in the know and have all your basics covered. That way, if you or a loved one are exhibiting symptoms, you know to act on them promptly so they don’t hinder your day-to-day activities or impose on your quality of life!
What is your experience with high blood pressure? Let us know in the comments down below about it!
Your blood pressure is the one that gives you clues on how much work your heart is up to, pumping your blood through your arteries. In fact, this is probably one of your body’s vital signs. As you probably know by now, suffering from hypertension can be very harmful to your health in so many ways.
In time, it can damage your vital organs, such as your heart, kidneys, and brain. This is one of the reasons why it’s so important to always keep an eye on the results and numbers, and take all the needed steps to manage them before it causes you any more problems.
One of the ways through which you can keep track of it is to monitor it at home, using just an automated machine, or even doing it manually. This article will help you with this matter, and walk you through how to use these machines, alongside many other tips on how to make sure you know how to correctly read the results.
What do blood pressure readings tell you?
Generally, you will measure it by using two different readings. If you don’t know how to read them, this is what they mean:
systolic pressure – the first reading is known as your systolic pressure. It’s the first
diastolic pressure – the second reading is representing your diastolic number. It is the second or bottom number. Diastolic pressure is the one that measures the diastolic number. It’s the second or bottom number. It also measures the pressure inside your arteries, when the heart is relaxing between beats.
As an example, you might notice that your blood pressure is written as 117/80 mm Hg (millimeters of mercury). In this situation, the systolic pressure is 117 and the diastolic pressure is 80. Regular blood pressure has to be less than 120/80 mm Hg.
The number might differ for various reasons. Higher numbers in these measurements might be a sign that your heart is doing extra work to pump blood through your arteries. This also might indicate an external trigger, as if you’re feeling stressed or scared.
When this occurs, it might cause your blood vessels to narrow. If you want to learn how to check it all by yourself, the best thing to do is to first check with your doctor or healthcare professional if this is the way through which you can monitor and record it.
Why? Because perhaps they’d want you to use the machine either before or after you take a certain pill, or at different times during the day, either when you’re stressed.
How to use the automated blood pressure machine
The easiest way to measure your blood pressure is to buy an automated cuff. Automatic machines are pretty simple to use, and they’re also good for you if you suffer from any hearing impairments.
These types of blood pressure cuffs have a digital monitor that will show the reading on a screen. You can buy these online, at most grocery stores, or at a health food store.
In fact, the American Heart Association (AHA) would rather recommend you an automated, upper arm monitor for at-home use. But keep in mind that an automated machine will always give you a different reading than manual reading.
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How to check your blood pressure manually
In order to take your blood pressure manually, you have to use a cuff with a squeezable balloon and an aneroid monitor, which is also known as a sphygmomanometer, and a stethoscope. If you can ask someone to monitor you, that would be great. Then, keep this in mind:
Before taking your blood pressure, ensure you’re relaxed first. Then, position your arm straight, palm facing up on a level surface, as a table.
Then, place the cuff on your bicep and squeeze the balloon, so you can inflate the cuff.
Use the numbers on the aneroid monitor, and inflate the cuff about 20-30 mm Hg over the normal blood pressure. If you don’t know what’s the normal blood pressure, the best thing is to ask your doctor exactly how much you should inflate the cuff.
So when the cuff is inflated, place the stethoscope with the flat side down on the inside of your elbow crease, then toward the inner part of your arm, where the major artery of your arm is located. Make sure you test the stethoscope before you use it. Truth to be told, we strongly recommend you have a high-quality stethoscope.
Then, deflate the balloon slowly as you listen through the stethoscope to hear the first “whoosh” of the blood flowing. Then, remember THAT number, because that’s your systolic blood pressure.
You will hear at some point the blood pulsing, so keep on listening and allow the balloon to slowly deflate until the rhythm stops. When the rhythm stops, record the measurement, because THAT’S your diastolic blood pressure. You will record the blood pressure as the systolic over the diastolic, like 115/75.
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How to use your blood pressure cuff
In order to get the most accurate reading, keep in mind the following:
You have to try the blood pressure cuff first, to see if it’s the right size for you. Cuffs might come in different sizes, including pediatric sizes if you have a tiny arm. Normally, you should be able to slip one finger between your arm and the deflated cuff.
Avoid smoking, drinking, and doing any kind of exercise for 30 minutes before taking your blood pressure.
Then, be sure you sit with your back straight and your feet flat on the floor.
Take the blood pressure at different moments during the day, and record the exact number you had each time you took the blood pressure measurement.
Rest for a couple of minutes before taking your blood pressure.
Take two readings every time in order to make sure they’re correct.
Bring your own at-home monitoring device to your doctor’s office to be sure it’s working properly and to calibrate it.
Apps that can track your blood pressure
There might be some apps that promise to check your blood pressure without the need for equipment, however, this isn’t actually the most accurate and reliable method. But if you’re still curious to try an app, we encourage you to do so, as they might help you track your results.
This can prove to be very helpful when it comes to identifying patterns in your blood pressure. Your doctor might use this info to determine if you need blood pressure medications. Some of these free apps include:
Blood Pressure Monitor – Family Lite for iOS
Blood Pressure for Android
Blood Pressure Companion for iOS and macOS
These apps can make all of this much easier for you. They can measure your blood pressure regularly on the same arm and can help you keep track of the resulted readings more accurately.
Hypertension is one of the most common risk factors for any heart disease. There are currently more than 1 billion people all over the world that suffer from high blood pressure, and it is represented by systolic blood pressure (SBP) values of 130 mm Hg or more or diastolic blood pressure of more than 80 mm Hg.
Some of the most important medications are angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, which are used to reduce blood pressure levels. Even so, you can also control high blood pressure by changing your lifestyle, including your diet.
If you consider changing your diet, then you will probably need a list of foods to eat. I wonder where you can get one of those…oh wait! You already are in the right place.
11 Foods for Your High Blood Pressure:
Citrus fruits
Citrus fruits, such as grapefruit, oranges, and obviously, lemons, have strong blood-pressure-lowering effects. They are rich in vitamins, minerals, and plant compounds that might help keep your heart as healthy as possible, by reducing heart disease risk factors such as high blood pressure.
In fact, there has been a 5-month study that involved 101 Japanese women, who proved that daily lemon juice intake alongside walking, had reduced the SBP. The effect was entirely attributed to the citric acid and flavonoid content in lemons. There are also studies that show how drinking orange and grapefruit juice might reduce blood pressure.
Salmon and other fatty fish
Fatty fish are a great source of omega-3 fats, which are absolutely amazing for your heart health. These fats might help you with your blood pressure levels, as they reduce inflammation and decrease the levels of blood-vessel-constricting compounds known as oxylipins.
Research proves that a diet rich in omega-3 fatty fish is good at lowering blood pressure levels. In fact, there’s a study conducted on 2,036 healthy people concluded that those participants who had the highest blood levels of omega-3 fats had lower SBP and DBP than those who had the lowest blood levels of these fats.
Swiss chard
Swiss chard is basically a leafy green that’s super-rich in blood-pressure-regulating nutrients, such as potassium and magnesium. Only one cup, which is 145 grams, of cooked chard gives 17% and 30% of the daily needed doses of potassium and magnesium.
For the people who suffer from high blood pressure, every 0.6-gram per day increase in dietary potassium is directly linked to a 1.0 mm Hg reduction in SBP, and a 0.52 mm Hg reduction in DBP. Only one cup of Swiss chard has 792 mg of the much-needed nutrient. Magnesium is also essential when it comes to blood pressure regulation.
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Pumpkin seeds
Pumpkin seeds might be tiny, but they have a lot to offer when it comes to nutrition. They have a very concentrated source of nutrients that are essential for blood pressure control, such as magnesium, potassium, and arginine, which is an amino acid that you need for the proper production of nitric oxide, used for blood vessel relaxation and blood pressure reduction.
The pumpkin seed oil has been shown to be an extremely powerful and natural remedy if you suffer from higher blood pressure. In fact, a study conducted on 23 women proves that supplementing with 3 grams of pumpkin seed oil per day for 6 weeks might significantly reduce the SBP in the blood, compared to the results of a placebo group.
Beans and lentils
Beans and lentils are extremely rich in nutrients that can regulate your blood pressure levels, like fiber, magnesium, and potassium. Various studies show that eating beans and lentils might be helpful in case you suffer from high blood pressure levels.
There’s a review made out of 8 studies taken on 554 people, where it shows how beans and lentils lowered SBP and average blood pressure levels in those people who had hypertension. So, if you want to add something new to your diet, then it’s safe to say that you’re going to notice results faster if you try eating more beans and lentils.
Berries
Berries have strongly been associated with a wide range of impressive health benefits, including their potential to reduce heart disease risk factors such as high blood pressure. Berries are incredibly good for their antioxidants, which contain anthocyanins, pigments that give berries their vibrant color.
Anthocyanins have been proven to increase nitric oxide levels in the blood and reduce the production of those blood-vessel-restricting molecules, which might help reduce blood pressure levels. Even so, more research on humans needs to be done in order to confirm these potential mechanisms.
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Amaranth
You can try eating whole grains such as amaranth, as it will help you lower your blood pressure levels. There are studies that show how diets rich in whole grains might decrease your risk of suffering from high blood pressure.
There’s also a review made out of 28 studies that found how a 30-gram per day increase in the intake of whole grains might be associated with an 8% reduced risk of high blood pressure. Out of many whole grains, amaranth is the one that’s particularly high in magnesium. Only one cooked cup of 246 grams will provide you with 38% of your daily magnesium needs.
Pistachios
Pistachios are extremely nutritious, and their consumption has been directly linked to healthy blood pressure levels. They are very high in various nutrients that are essential for heart health and blood pressure regulation, such as potassium. There’s a review that shows how out of all the nuts, pistachio has the strongest effect on reducing both SBP and DBP.
Carrots
Carrots are crunchy, sweet, tasty, and very nutritious, so it’s no wonder they are a big part of our diets. Carrots are incredibly rich in phenolic compounds, like chlorogenic, p-coumaric, and caffeic acids, that are relaxing your blood vessels and reducing inflammation in your body, which might be good if you have issues with higher blood pressure.
Even if you can eat carrots either cooked or raw, eating them raw might bring you more benefits, especially if you want to reduce your high blood pressure. After a small study conducted on 17 people, it has been demonstrated that a daily intake of 16 ounces of fresh carrot juice for 3 months straight helped reduce SBP levels, but not DBP.
Celery
Celery is an extremely popular vegetable that might have very positive effects on your high blood pressure. It has compounds called phthalides, which are known to help relax your blood vessels and lower blood pressure levels. There’s a study that proves cooked celery intake is extremely beneficial when it comes to reducing blood pressure.
Tomatoes and tomato products
Tomatoes and tomato products are very rich in nutrients, such as potassium and the carotenoid pigment known as lycopene. Lycopene has been strongly associated with positive effects on heart health, and eating foods that are high in this nutrient, like tomato products, might help reduce heart disease risk factors such as high blood pressure.
There’s a review made out of 21 studies that shows how consuming tomato and tomato products will improve your blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease and heart-disease-related death.
