Staying Heart-Healthy
The good news about high blood pressure and heart disease risk is that you can do something about it! This may mean lifestyle changes and medication. We'll tell you about both.
Your starting point is to know your numbers and your doctor's plan. Ask for your blood pressure readings and your target blood pressure for your age and condition. Write these numbers down so you can compare them to future readings.
How Can I Know When My Blood Pressure Is High?
Some people believe that they can "feel" when their blood pressure is higher than normal. They may get a headache or feel tense or stressed. The truth is, this may or may not match up to when blood pressure is really high—either some or all of the time. The only way to know for sure is to measure it.
need to know what your blood pressure is and how you're doing with your treatment, in order to keep your heart healthy. This means checking your blood pressure often. Since you cannot "feel" when your blood pressure is high, this is the only way to know what is happening. There are several ways you can do this:
- The best way, if you can afford it, is to buy a home blood pressure monitor you can use a few times a day. This will tell you a lot about your blood pressure patterns and how you respond to treatment. Most drugstores sell blood pressure monitors, and your doctor can suggest a good one. A home blood pressure monitor may cost about $50. Insurance may or may not cover it. Ask your nurse or doctor to show you how to use it.
- Another way to track your blood pressure is to use the blood pressure machines found at many drugstores. These are usually free or sometimes 25 cents, but may not always give correct readings.
- A third way
Here are some things you can do to control your blood pressure and help keep your heart healthy:
- Eat a healthful diet and maintain a healthy weight.
- Get regular exercise.
- Take your blood pressure pills as prescribed.
- If you smoke, quit.
- If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation.
White-Coat Hypertension
Certain behaviors like visiting a doctor's office or talking when your blood pressure is read can raise your blood pressure. You may get a more accurate result if you check your blood pressure at home.
Still, if your blood pressure goes up at the doctor's office, it may also rise when you're stuck in traffic, upset at work, or having a fight with someone. If high blood pressure is the way your body reacts to stress, you need to get treatment for it.
As one dialysis patient noted:
"I have been taking my own blood pressures for years; it is how I know that it drops after treatment and eating. Yesterday I left the unit with a standing blood pressure of 142/87. My blood pressure was 128/79 when I arrived home 45 minutes later. An hour after eating, my blood pressure dropped to 102/62 and remained there. This morning it was 132/82 and dropped to 105/62 after eating breakfast."
