01/09/2022
*Understanding Blood Pressure*
Your blood pressure is measured two ways:
“There’s no substitute for a healthy lifestyle—eating well and exercising are going to be much better at reducing blood pressure than me throwing a ton of medications at someone,” she says.
While there are medications that can help do things like relax your blood vessels, make your heart beat with less force, and block nerve activity that can restrict your blood vessels, Dr. Weinberg says that there’s “really no substitute” for healthy lifestyle factors when it comes to lowering blood pressure in many instances.
Although medication can lower blood pressure, it may cause side effects such as leg cramps, dizziness, and insomnia. The good news is that most people can bring their numbers down naturally, without using drugs. “Lifestyle changes are an important part of prevention and treatment of high blood pressure,” says Brandie D. Williams, M.D., a cardiologist at Texas Health Stephenville and Texas Health Physicians Group.
Systolic blood pressure, which measures the pressure in your arteries when your heart beats
Diastolic blood pressure, which measures the pressure in your arteries when your heart rests between beats
When you get a blood pressure reading, the systolic blood pressure number is on top, and the diastolic blood pressure number is on the bottom.
The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association define high blood pressure as a reading at or above 130/80 mmHg. Normal blood pressure is less than 120/80 mmHG, while elevated blood pressure is considered 120-129/less than 80 mmHG.
How is high blood pressure treated?
High blood pressure is usually managed with a combination of medication and lifestyle treatments, says Nicole Weinberg, M.D., a cardiologist at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, Calif., although she typically recommends that patients try lifestyle modifications first.