Ashleigh Murray

Ashleigh Murray

Health 1020

Jean Widdison

6/28/2017

Hypertension

Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a chronic disease that runs in my

family on my dads side. Most of my dads family has hypertension with an exception of a few

of us that dont have it. The American Heart Associate defines hypertension or high blood

pressure is when your blood pressure, the force of the blood flowing through your blood vessels,

is consistently too high. They state that out of about 85 million Americans nearly one out of

every three adults over 20 have high blood pressure (The Facts About High Blood Pressure).

Thats a high number dont you think? This is defiantly is a huge issue, and its something

everyone should try and improve to help prevent other diseases from arising.

Lets talk about the symptoms of high blood pressure. The scary part with high blood

pressure is most of the time there are no obvious symptoms or signs. Therefore this results in

individuals not being aware that they have it. When an individual doesnt know they have

something they are unable to make changes to treat it correctly. Lets face it, most people only

go to the Dr. when they are feeling sick or are hurt. Bad lifestyle choices such as unhealthy

dieting and physical traits can put you at greater risk for high blood pressure. If its left

untreated, hypertension can damage the rest of your bodys organs. These damages can be made

to your circulatory system, heart, and kidneys. It can also lead to other health issues such as
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strokes, heart disease, kidney failure, and even kidney disease. Therefore taking control of your

high blood pressure is a big deal in keeping your body healthy and maintaining good health.

While there is no cure for high blood pressure, as explained above healthy lifestyle

choices such as diet and regular physical activity can help reduce high blood pressure. Starting

off it is important to know your numbers and if you have high blood pressure or not. Please note

it is always recommended to see a Dr. to diagnose you before assuming thats what you have.

Below I have provided a chart from The American Heart Association.

This chart shows the systolic and diastolic numbers for your blood pressure rates (Why

High Blood Pressure is a Silent Killer). There are five different levels of blood pressure;

normal, prehypertension, high blood pressure stage 1, high blood pressure stage 2, and last

hypertensive crisis in which emergency medical care is needed. Blood pressure is expressed by

two numbers like mentioned above, the higher number represents systolic blood pressure, the

pressure in the arteries when the heart muscle is contorting and pumping (320). The Second

value is diastolic blood pressure, the artery pressure when the heart is relaxed (320). It is
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important to know your blood pressure so you can determine what stage you are in. Please note

that regular Dr. Visits are good to monitor your blood pressure.

Like stated above there is no cure for high blood pressure. No matter the level of your

high blood pressure, life style changes are needed to enhance your quality of life and preventing

additional diseases from occurring. Life style changes needed to reduce high blood pressure

include, eating a well-balanced low sodium diet, maintaining a healthy weight for your body

type, limiting alcohol intake, enjoying regular physical activity, and taking medication when

prescribed properly.

When you have high blood pressure you want to make sure you are eating a well-

balanced low sodium diet. While it is important to know every diet has sodium in it, it is also

important to know when you are diagnosed with high blood pressure that you need to reduce

your sodium intake. The information listed below is the recommend daily intake for sodium in

milligrams for individual by age (Pg. 315).

Sodium
AL (Adult Level)
9-50 years: 1500 milligrams
51-70 years: 1300 milligrams
>70 years: 1200 milligrams
DV (Daily Value)
2400 milligrams
UL (Upper Level)
2300 milligrams
One of the easiest ways to reduce sodium intake is by watching your intake of highly

processed foods, take out foods, and easy grab-and-go food items found in your local grocery
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stores, and gas stations. Eating from home and cooking your meals from scratch you are able to

monitor the amount of sodium added to each meal. Dont add salt unless its needed. Did you

know that just 1 level teaspoon of salt has 2,300 mg of sodium? (Reduce sodium in your diet) .

This is more than your full daily value for healthly individuals. I know that its easier said than

done so if you have to grab quick items on the go make sure you are reading the Nutrition Fact

Panel and look for the Daily Value of Sodium within these easy grab items. This will help you

monitor the amount of sodium that you are eating daily. It is easy to exceed your sodium intake

by eating one processed food item or take-out food.

Additional ways to reduce sodium intake is eat more natural sources by increasing your

daily consumption of protein, dairy, fruits, and vegetables. This will ensure you are getting your

daily nutrition but not adding additional sodium to your diet, if these foods are fresh and no

additional sodium is added. Always watch portion sizes in dairy, meat and processed starchy

foods. These food items do include higher amounts of sodium. Limit or cut out any cured food

items, these items are extremely high in sodium to preserve the food color, taste, and prevent

these items from rotting.

There are also other minerals that can help lower blood pressure. These minerals are

calcium, potassium, and magnesium. Studies show that a diet rich in minerals and lower sodium

content can actually decrease blood pressure (321). The studies I referred to above is commonly

known as the DASH Diet. This diet plan is always known as the Dietary Approaches to Stop

Hypertension (DASH) diet. Please see the table below showing the breakdown of the

recommended servings from each food group (321):

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The table recommends to eat foods low in fat, sodium, and low fat-dairy products, and to

increase servings rich in fruits and vegetables. As though this diet may not work for everyone, I

believe it can help lower blood pressure because you are lowering your intake of sodium and fats

and increasing nutrient dense foods.

Limiting excessive alcohol intake will also help reduce hypertension, 10% of

hypertension cases are due to excessive alcohol intake. Hypertension caused by alcohol is

common seen in middle-aged males and among African-Americans (321). When hypertension is

caused by excessive alcohol it can typically be reversible by increasing your intake. Sensible

alcohol intake for individuals with hypertension is limited to 2 or fewer drinks a day for men and

1 or less a day for women (321).

Did you know that overweight people have six times great risk of having hypertension

than lean people (321). Per the Physical Activity Guidelines it is recommended that adults should

perform a minimum of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity activity every week (254). Diet and

exercise are the two of main parts of lowering your blood pressure. 150 minutes seems like a lot

all at once but once its broken down its 30 minutes 5 days a week. Working out regularly also

helps maintain a healthy weight when dieting properly.

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Medication that is given to individuals with hypertension is called Diuretic medications.

Diuretic pills are also known as water pills. They work to reduce blood volume which then

helps with blood pressure by increasing fluid output in the urine. This is the only recommend

medications that help lower blood pressure. Experts recommend to lower blood pressure through

dieting, and lifestyle changes in additional to taking Diuretic medications.

In conclusion, I have learned that decreasing sodium and fats within your diet and regular

exercise you are able to lower your blood pressure yourself if diagnosed with high blood

pressure. It may seem like a lot of work upfront but in the end it will be worth it to feel better

and live a longer healthier life. I believe that most people claim they dont have time to make

these changes so therefore they dont change their life styles. They often tend to look at

medication as and easy fix instead of changing their life style. The body is complex but needs

simple things to maintain and be healthy. With a few easy fix and life style changes anyone can

fix their high blood pressure.

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Citation Page

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27 June 2017.

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"The Facts on Sodium and High Blood Pressure." Www.eatright.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 June

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Wardlaw, Gordon M., Anne M. Smith, and Angela Collene. Contemporary nutrition: a functional

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"The Facts on Sodium and High Blood Pressure." Www.eatright.org. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 June

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"Why High Blood Pressure is a "Silent Killer"." Why High Blood Pressure is a "Silent Killer".

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<http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/Conditions/HighBloodPressure/UnderstandSymptomsRisks

/Why-High-Blood-Pressure-is-a-Silent-Killer_UCM_002053_Article.jsp#.WVJzEk3fPct>.

"10 ways to control high blood pressure without medication." Mayo Clinic. Mayo Foundation for

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<http://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/in-depth/high-blood-

pressure/art-20046974>.