Tips On Preventing And Controlling High Blood Pressure
By www.menhealthonline.biz
When blood pressure stays elevated over time it is called high blood pressure. The medical term for high blood pressure is hypertension.
The dangers of high blood pressure include:
• Atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries)
• Increases risk of heart disease and stroke
• Higher risk of congestive heart failure
• Higher risk of kidney disease
• Higher risk for blindness
A blood pressure level of 140/90 mmHg or higher is considered high. A blood pressure between 120/80 mmHg and 139/89 mmHg means you have prehypertension.
When you have prehypertension it means you don't have high blood pressure now, but you are likely to develop it in the future unless you adopt healthy lifestyle changes.
High blood pressure is a condition that most people will have at some point their lives. Although both numbers in a blood pressure reading are important, for people age 50 or older, systolic pressure gives the most accurate diagnosis of high blood pressure. The top number is the systolic pressure. A top number of 140 mmHg or above is high.
Risk factors are conditions or behaviors that increase your chances of developing a disease. More than one risk factor means you have a much greater chance of developing heart disease.
Risk factors you can control include:
• High blood pressure
• Abnormal cholesterol
• Tobacco use
• Overweight
• Physical inactivity
• Diet
Risk factors you cannot control include:
• Age (55 or older for men; 65 or older for women)
• Family history of early heart disease (having a father or brother diagnosed with heart disease before age 55 or a having a mother or sister diagnosed before age 65
One of the main risks of developing high blood pressure is being overweight. As your weight increases, so does your blood pressure. To lose 10 pounds can lower your blood pressure. Losing weight has the most dramatic effect on those who are overweight and already have hypertension.
Two key measures are used to determine if someone is overweight or obese:
1. Body mass index;
2. Waist circumference
Body mass index is a measure of your weight relative to your height and gives an approximation of total body fat. High body fat is what increases the risk of diseases that are related to being overweight; however, body mass index alone does not determine the risk. This is why weight measurement is often checked as well. Too much body fat in the stomach area also increases disease risk. A waist measurement of more than 35 inches in women and more than 40 inches in men is considered high.
If you and your doctor determine you need to lose weight, it is important to do so slowly. Lose no more than ½ pound to 2 pounds per week. The best chance of long-term success and the healthiest way to lose weight is a goal of losing 10 percent of your current weight.
To lose weight means to eat fewer calories than you use up in daily activities. The number of calories you burn daily depends on factors such as your body size and how physically active you are.
One pound equals 3,500 calories. To lose 1 pound per week, you need to eat 500 calories per day less or burn 500 calories a day more than you usually do. The best is to work a combination of both eating less and being more physically active. Be aware of serving sizes as well. It is not only what you eat that adds the calories, but it is also how much you eat.
Being physically active is one of the most important things you can do to prevent or control high blood pressure, and then also, reduces your risk of heart disease. All that is needed is 30 minutes of moderate-level physical activity on most days of the week. Examples of these activities include:
• Brisk walking
• Bicycling
• Raking leaves
• Gardening
Other
