High Blood Pressure
What is high blood pressure? Also known as hypertension. It is the measure of the pressure that the heart needs to push against to circulate blood around your entire body.
Making sense of the numbers
The top number (systolic) is the pressure when the strongest part of the heart is squeezing. The bottom number (diastolic) is the pressure when this same part of the heart is relaxed.
But - Why is this even important? Well, the higher the pressure, the higher the turbulence in your blood vessels around your body, the more likely there is going to be damage to the vessel walls which can eventually causes build up in the walls, narrowings and the blockages - better known as heart disease. Blockages or narrowings to the point of no circulation to an area cause heart attacks, strokes, kidney disease and other diseases.
Let’s take a look at prevention. Many may say that their high blood pressure is just due to their genes. While it’s true there are many causes of high blood pressure which we cannot control. It is also true that many people will find that there are some factors we can control. Our lifestyles have a lot to do with our blood pressure if we take a closer look at some of the hidden things in our lifestyle.
For example, where salt goes, water follows, and pressure rises. High salt diets (yes- even sea or Himalayan salt) can cause high blood pressure. Having a low to moderate salt diet helps to lower blood pressure in many. The recommendation is to take in no more than 2000mg of sodium or less than 1 teaspoon of salt in a day from all sources!
Another lifestyle trigger for blood pressure to be aware of is sitting time. How many hours do you sit per day at work for instance? Those who sit less than 4 hours at work per day are at lower risk for high blood pressure. While those sitting for most of the day are at higher risk. This is why it is important to incorporate exercise on most days of the week for most people. Exercising the body, exercises the heart, and helps blood flow better throughout the body. Less turbulence means less damage and less heart, brain, and kidney attacks!