If your heart is working harder than it should to pump blood to all parts of your body, you have high blood pressure, also known as hypertension. Blood pressure, the pressure your blood exerts against the walls of your arteries, is measured in two numbers. The top number, systolic, measures pressure when the heart contracts to pump blood to the body; the bottom number, diastolic, measures pressure when the heart relaxes between beats. Twenty-five percent of all American adults who are cuffed for a blood pressure test have hearts that pump harder than what the American Heart Association considers normal: lower than 120 systolic and 80 diastolic (120/80).
"Ninety to ninety-five percent of all blood pressure problems are essentially caused by aging. The arteries just get stiffer," says James Kmetzo, MD, Doylestown Hospital cardiologist.
Foods to lower your blood pressure
Doylestown Hospital dietitian Amy Pieczarka says small changes in your cooking and eating habits will help.
- Cook meals from scratch. Use herbs and spices instead of salt.
- Use leaner cuts of meat.
- Eat at least three servings of low-fat dairy products daily. Drink skim or 1 percent milk.
- Eat eight to 10 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Make sure you are getting enough calcium from milk products; magnesium from vegetables and nuts; and potassium from fruits, vegetables and grains.
Exercise to lower your blood pressure
David Martens, MS, clinical manager of cardiac rehabilitation at Doylestown Hospital, offers these tips to boost your workout for hypertension.
- Exercise 30 to 45 continuous minutes each day, but even 10-minute workouts three times a day can help.
- Don't exhaust yourself. Moderate intensity exercise is most effective, working at 50 to 80 percent of your maximum heart rate. This is where exercise machines help; they can be programmed to keep you at a healthy rate. Aerobic exercise is better for hypertension than resistance exercises. Martens recommends aerobic workouts on the elliptical, the rower or the treadmill. At home, walk, bike or invest in a treadmill or stationary bike.
- Outdoors, walk at a pace that increases your breathing but allows you to carry on a conversation.
- Find a time of day that you are most likely to stick to your exercise routine: morning, lunchtime or after work.
- Avoid boredom. Gyms offer a variety of equipment, and instructors can vary your program.
- Keep a set of exercise clothes in your car.
Medication to lower your blood pressure
These four types of medication can help lower blood pressure, if taken daily, says Dr. James Kmetzo. Above all, he stresses, stop smoking if you smoke.
- Beta blockers lower blood pressure and prevent angina (chest pain or discomfort that occurs when the heart doesn't receive enough blood) and arrhythmia, or abnormal heart rhythm. Common beta blockers are Atenolol and Metoprolol.
- Diuretics are often taken in combination with beta blockers. If taken alone, your potassium level has to be checked regularly. The most common is HCTZ (hydrochlorothiazide).
- ACE inhibitors (angiotensin converting enzyme) and ARBs (angiotensin receptor blockers) are commonly used by heart failure patients to lower blood pressure.
- Calcium channel blockers are prescribed for high blood pressure and for angina.
