Why should you care about high blood pressure? Well, for one, if it’s too high, your blood pressure might be damaging your health right now — and setting the stage for serious problems later on. Luckily, there is a lot you can do to help.

Here are three reasons why controlling your blood pressure is vital to your health.

Why It's Important To Worry About High Blood Pressure?

More than one in three people deal with high blood pressure, which equates to 68 million people in the US. And of that number, one-third don’t even know they deal with it. That’s why this potentially life-threatening disease is sometimes referred to as the “silent stalker”— or even the “silent killer.”

High blood pressure is one of the most important risk factors for heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, and diabetes complications — contributing to nearly 1,000 deaths a day. Yet it’s undertreated – even though effective treatments have been available for more than 50 years. Fewer than half of Americans with high blood pressure have their condition under control.

Before diagnosing high blood pressure, your healthcare providers will check — and recheck — your blood pressure. They’ll also ask questions about your personal and family health history, check your weight, ask about your physical activity level, and possibly do some lab tests. Part of the reason for these tests is to find out if another condition is causing your high blood pressure — or if your high blood pressure is leading to other problems (such as heart disease or kidney disease).

What Causes High Blood Pressure?

There are risk factors for those who develop high blood pressure. You can work to mitigate those factors – but there are some risks you can’t change. Risk factors you CAN’T change:

• Family history – high blood pressure tends to run in the family.
• Age – Generally, the older you get, the greater chance you have of getting high blood pressure. Most common ages are 35-50 for men, and after menopause for women.
• Race – If you’re of African-American descent, your risk of high blood pressure is much higher.

There are risk factors you CAN change:

• Inactivity – People not active have a 20 to 50 percent increased risk.
• Being overweight – Excess weight gain adds extra stress to the heart and arteries.
• Poor diet – Eating too much salt, drinking too much alcohol, and poor eating habits can also increase your risk of high blood pressure.
• Stress – Bodies respond to stress by raising blood pressure. Unmanaged and ongoing stress will keep blood pressure high.
• Smoking – Every time you smoke a cigarette, it causes an immediate and significant rise in blood pressure.

These can be simple, yet very important, changes to your health that lowers not only blood pressure risks but risks for numerous chronic illnesses.

It’s All About Lifestyle Change If You Have High Blood Pressure

If you’ve been told you have high blood pressure, don’t be discouraged. You and your care provider can work through it. Often lifestyle changes can make a big difference. You can follow this simple name: MAWDS

M – Medication: Make taking your medication part of your routine, and don’t stop taking medication just because your blood pressure is ok. It probably just means it’s working.

A – Activity: shoot for 30 minutes, 5 days a week.

W – Weight: Manage a healthy weight and make changes to your diet and activity level – even a small amount will help.

D – Diet: Start by adding more fruits and vegetables to your diet.

S – Stop smoking and manage stress.

You have more control over high blood pressure than you think. Work with your care provider to find a nutrition, exercise, and care plan that will work for you - then reap the rewards of healthy living.

For more information, visit this site on understanding high blood pressure.

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