{"id":26565,"date":"2021-07-01T23:26:04","date_gmt":"2021-07-01T23:26:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/medical.andonline.com\/?p=26565"},"modified":"2023-05-25T02:45:34","modified_gmt":"2023-05-25T02:45:34","slug":"new-guidelines-for-blood-pressure","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/medical.andonline.com\/new-guidelines-for-blood-pressure\/?lang=ce","title":{"rendered":"New Guidelines for Blood Pressure"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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Talking Heart Health: New Guidelines for Blood Pressure<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div><\/section>\n

Volume I, Issue I<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n

In November of last year, the American Heart Association (AHA), the American College of Cardiology and nine other groups recently redefined high blood pressure. The new parameters now reflect hypertension to be a reading of 130 over 80, down from 140 over 90. The change means that\u00a046 percent of U.S. adults<\/strong>\u00a0are now considered hypertensive \u2013 and the term \u201cpre-hypertensive\u201d is now a thing of the past.<\/p>\n

Or, as my neighbor put it, \u201cI went to bed one night and I was fine, and the next day I woke up and had high blood pressure!\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section><\/div>\n

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But there are very real (as in cost-saving) reasons to better understand those two little numbers and what they mean in our lives. According to the AHA, \u201cBy lowering the definition of high blood pressure, the guidelines recommend earlier intervention to prevent further increases in blood pressure and the complications of hypertension.\u201d<\/p>\n

And that\u2019s really what these new guidelines reflect: the deeper understanding around how lifestyle impacts those two numbers, and then the extrapolation of what changes we want to make in the long term to impact them.<\/p>\n

So what did my neighbor who \u201cwoke up with high blood pressure\u201d do?\u00a0 He realized that it was time to begin watching his blood pressure on a daily basis \u2013 and tracking what he sees in his life accordingly.<\/p>\n

According to the AHA, “One of the best known indicators of heart health for the average person is blood pressure, which is easy to monitor at home.\u00a0 Understanding your blood pressure numbers is key to controlling high blood pressure.”\u00a0<\/span><\/strong><\/p>\n

Your blood pressure consists of two numbers.\u00a0 Your systolic pressure measures the pressure of blood against artery walls when the heart pumps blood out during a heartbeat, while the diastolic pressure measures the same pressure between heartbeats, when the heart fills with blood.<\/p>\n

Once you understand the components of blood pressure, you also need to know what can affect your measurements.\u00a0 Blood pressure abnormally high one morning? Well, if there was Chinese food on the menu from the night before, that might explain why. That awareness results in trying something new with the Chinese food next time, like walking after dinner or drinking more water.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/section>\n

TIPS FOR TAKING YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE<\/span><\/h3>\n<\/div><\/section>\n

In addition to watching how lifestyle impacts blood pressure, the AHA also recommends knowing how to properly measure blood pressure on a daily basis. For help, the\u00a0AHA website<\/a>\u00a0recommends the following tips to ensure accurate blood pressure readings at home:<\/p>\n