Healthy Blood Pressure

A blood pressure higher than 130/80 mmHg can cause serious health problems, including:

• Heart Disease
• Stroke
• Kidney Disease
• Dementia

Pharmacology treatment should be initiated when blood pressure is 150/90 mmHG or higher in adults 60 and older, or 140/90 mmHG or higher in adults younger than 60 years or age.

*** If you have Hypertension and Diabetes your blood pressure should be treated at 140/90 mmHG REGARDLESS of age.

What puts YOU at risk for high blood pressure?

• Age: Blood pressure tends to get higher as we get older. However, elevated blood pressure can affect younger individuals as well.
• Lifestyle habits: Eating too much salt, drinking too much alcohol, obesity, smoking, and not getting enough exercise.
• Race and ethnicity: Anyone can have high blood pressure. African Americans tend to get elevated blood pressure at a younger age. Hispanic adults, Cubans, Puerto Rican, and Dominican backgrounds are also at higher risk.
• Genes: Elevated blood pressure can run in families.
• Sex: More men than women have elevated blood pressure under the age of 60 and more women than men have elevated blood pressure after the age of 60.

How to decrease your risk for developing high blood pressure.

1. Eat a healthy diet:
   • Dash Diet – https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/education/dash-eating-plan
   • CDC Division of Nutrition – https://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/dnpao/index.html
2. Keep yourself at a healthy weight:
   • Calculate BMI – https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/
3. Be physically active:
   • Physical activity guidelines – https://health.gov/our-work/nutrition-physical-activity/physical-activity-guidelines/current-guidelines
4. Do not smoke:
   • CDC smoking cessation – https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/
5. Limit alcohol:
   • CDC alcohol and public health – https://www.cdc.gov/alcohol/
6. Get enough sleep:
   • CDC sleep and sleep disorder – https://www.cdc.gov/sleep/index.html