Gabe Mirkin, M.D.
Blood pressure has two components: the higher systolic
when your heart contracts, and the lower diastolic when your
heart relaxes. You have high blood pressure when your systolic
is above 120 or your diastolic is above 80. Ninety-one percent of
Americans will eventually develop high blood pressure, which
increases their risk for heart attacks, strokes, diabetes, kidney
damage and other blood vessel disease.
Doctors do not diagnose high blood pressure with a
single reading because some people have reactive hypertension
that is not as dangerous as persistent hypertension. If you get
one high reading in your doctor’s office, check your own blood
pressure daily and chart the results. You can use the self-test
stations that are available in many pharmacies, or buy your own
blood pressure cuff for about fifty dollars.
Healthy people have their blood pressures drop in the
evening. The person at highest risk for heart attacks and strokes
is the one whose high blood pressure does not drop in the
evening. If your blood pressure is above 120/80 consistently,
particularly in the evening, you have high blood pressure and are
at significant risk for serious disease. Check back with your
doctor who will usually evaluate you for other risk factors for a
heart attack and may prescribe drugs. Whether or not you take
medication, you can improve blood pressure with lifestyle
changes: diet and exercise. More than 80 percent of
hypertensive Americans can bring their blood pressures to
normal within a few weeks just by following a diet that
emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans and other
seeds (the DASH diet).
A recent study confirms that exercising regularly lowers
blood pressure to prevent heart attacks and strokes (Medicine &
Science in Sports & Exercise, August 2005). The researchers
showed that you can lower high blood pressure on the first day of
vigorous exercise. However, if you are out of shape, a single
bout of intense exercise can cause a heart attack. Check with
your doctor, then get a personal trainer or join a health club and
learn how to begin a safe and effective exercise program.
March 1, 2006