February — observed as American Heart Month by the American Heart Association (AHA) — is the perfect time to focus on one of the most important aspects of heart health: managing your blood pressure.
High blood pressure can lead to serious conditions like heart attack, stroke, and heart failure. That’s why the AHA uses this month to spread awareness of the dangers of high blood pressure and — more importantly — how to prevent and treat it.
Here’s a look at how managing your blood pressure protects your heart, courtesy of Dr. Rogers Walker, Shelley Gilbert, PA-C, and the team here at Walker Family Care team in Little River, South Carolina.
When your heart beats, it uses force (measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg)) to pump blood out to your arteries.
Low blood pressure (hypotension) means that your organs aren’t getting enough oxygen-rich blood. You might feel dizzy, faint, and in severe cases, go into shock.
When your blood pressure is too high (hypertension), it can strain your heart and damage your arteries over time.
The goal is to keep your blood pressure in the normal range: less than 120 systolic (top number) and less than 80 diastolic millimeters of mercury (mm Hg)(bottom number). This is a a reading of "120/80."
To put it simply, keeping your blood pressure in a healthy range means that your arteries can safely deliver oxygen-rich blood to all areas of your body without the risk of damage to your arteries themselves.
High blood pressure can:
Damage to your artery walls makes them less elastic, narrower, and more prone to the risk of developing plaque buildup. When a clump of plaque gets loose, it can block blood flow.
If the plaque blocks blood flow to your heart, it can cause a heart attack. If the plaque cuts off blood to part of your brain, you might have a stroke.
Hypertension can damage the tiny blood vessels in your eyes (hypertensive retinopathy). You could experience blurred vision or even vision loss from this condition.
High blood pressure increases the risk of other eye problems, such as macular degeneration and optic nerve damage (glaucoma).
When your blood pressure is high, your heart must work harder to pump blood with increased force. Unfortunately, this can damage your heart. Working too hard can lead to the thickening and stiffening of your heart muscle (hypertrophy).
Over time, this extra strain can weaken your heart and increase your risk of heart failure, arrhythmias, and heart attacks.
The bottom line: If your heart can’t pump blood properly, your whole body can suffer.
The good news is that even though hypertension is silent, it is treatable. You can safely lower your blood pressure in several ways:
Lack of physical inactivity is a risk factor for hypertension, and exercise can be the antidote.
You don’t need to log it all in one workout session either. Break it up! For example, 150 minutes is just about five 30-minute workouts.
Salty food, red meat, alcohol, saturated fats, and highly processed foods can contribute to high blood pressure. Dietary modifications — especially those outlined by the Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet — can go a long way in lowering your blood pressure levels.
When you’re stressed, your body releases chemicals that raise your blood pressure. Although this is useful in dangerous situations, chronic stress can contribute to chronically high blood pressure levels.
Exercise, meditation, and yoga can help lower your stress.
If you have an underlying condition, like sleep apnea, that can raise your blood pressure, it’s important to manage that condition. Sleep apnea, for instance, can be managed with diet, weight loss, and if needed, a continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP) machine.
There are many different types of medication that lower blood pressure. In many cases, you may find that it’s a combination of both lifestyle changes and medication that safely lowers your blood pressure levels.
The Walker Family Care team can help you determine which medications and lifestyle modifications can benefit you the most.
Back to the titular question, managing your blood pressure protects your heart by:
This February, prioritize your heart health and get your blood pressure taken. It's a painless part of your annual exam, but our team takes your reading every time you come to our office — sick or well visits included.
Questions? Give us a call at 843-280-8333, or use our online system to book your next appointment.
