This article was previously published on May 18, 2019 and has been updated with new information.
Blood pressure is a measurement of the force your blood produces as it pushes against your arteries. Normal blood pressure will rise and fall throughout the day but when it stays high consistently it becomes a significant concern as this pressure can damage your heart and cause problems. other health issues.
In 2017, the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American College of Cardiology, along with nine other medical institutions,first changed the threshold used to diagnose high blood pressure from 140/90 to 130/80.2 This small change has increased the number of people being diagnosed, including many people previously considered healthy.
According to the AHA, an estimated 103 million adults in the US have high blood pressure using these new measurements.3 Your blood pressure can be measured in a healthcare professional’s office or at home using a self-measured blood pressure monitoring system.4
Your top blood pressure reading is called systolic pressure and measures the pressure inside your arteries when your heart beats. The bottom number, called the diastolic number, measures the pressure in your pulse when your heart is at rest.
Both numbers are important in determining how much damage can occur over time to your blood vessels and other organ systems. Usually, there are no warning signs or symptoms of high blood pressure.
The only way to know for sure is to measure your pressure.5 A recent study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association6 urinating at least twice per night can be a symptom of uncontrolled high blood pressure.
Nocturia can indicate undetected high blood pressure
Nocturia is a condition that keeps you up at night to urinate. It may be related to drinking a lot of fluids in the evening, sleep disturbances, or bladder obstruction.7 Researchers from Cedars-Sinai and UCLA . School of Medicine8 sought to determine whether nocturia was a reversible symptom of uncontrolled high blood pressure.
The researchers conducted face-to-face health interviews and measured blood pressure in a large community-based sample of 1,673 black men, ages 35 to 49. People with high blood pressure were 56% more likely to wake up at night to urinate.
They found men with untreated high blood pressure were 39 percent more likely to develop nocturia than men with normal blood pressure or those with controlled high blood pressure. They concluded:9
“Uncontrolled hypertension was an independent determinant of clinically important nocturia in a large, cross-sectional, community-based study of non-Hispanic black men from 35 to 49 years old.”
Results from another study were presented at the 83rd Annual Scientific Meeting of the Japanese Circulatory Society in Yokohama, Japan.ten According to the researchers, previous Japanese research found that high salt intake was associated with nocturia in a country where people eat more salt than in Western countries.
The study looked at the association between high blood pressure and nocturia in the general population, attracting 3,749 residents for their annual health check-up in 2017. 1,882 people completed the questionnaires. The researchers used 140/90 as the threshold for high blood pressure, not the new threshold 130/80.11
Nocturia has been described as waking up at night one or more times, in contrast to a study in the Journal of the American Heart Association,twelfth defined it as two or more visits to the bathroom at night. Despite these differences, the Japanese researchers found similar results, as nocturia was associated with a 40% higher risk of developing high blood pressure.13
Potassium deficiency increases blood pressure
Potassium is a natural mineral that your body uses as an electrolyte. It is one of the most abundant intracellular cations and is essential for normal cell function.14 The relationship between potassium and sodium is strong and is a key regulator of extracellular fluid volume, including your plasma (blood).
You can lose potassium from diarrhea, vomiting, sweating a lot, or using certain medications, including too much alcohol.15 However, the most common reason why potassium levels are not within the normal range is your diet.
According to the United States Department of Agriculture,16 The average potassium intake in the US population is 2,640 milligrams (mg) per day, unchanged since the mid-1990s. However, the Institute of Medicine recommends a supplement of 4,700 mg per day.
Your body works most efficiently when there is a balance between potassium and sodium.17 Potassium helps to relax artery walls and lower blood pressure. Potassium also helps protect against muscle cramps and Harvard Health18 says that people with high systolic blood pressure can lower their blood pressure simply by increasing their potassium intake.
Many potassium-rich foods are also low in calories and carbohydrates, such as broccoli, spinach, and other green leafy vegetables. For people with existing kidney problems, it is important to seek a doctor’s advice before using any potassium supplement as it can lead to an irregular heartbeat.19
Consuming too much salt can contribute to an imbalance of potassium and sodium, which is more important than your overall salt intake. An imbalance in this ratio can not only lead to high blood pressure but also the formation of kidney stones,20 Osteoporosis,21 cataract patients22 and increased pain in rheumatoid arthritis.23
High blood pressure causes health concerns
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention,24 13 million US adults with high blood pressure don’t know they have it and go untreated. Of those with high blood pressure, nearly half do not have it under control.
Uncontrolled high blood pressure is a leading cause of heart disease and stroke, and increases the risk of heart disease and heart failure.25 High blood pressure increases the workload on your heart muscle, which can lead to heart failure and damage the arteries that supply oxygen to the muscles, leading to a heart attack.
High blood pressure can also damage small arteries, reducing the amount of oxygen delivered to organs like your kidneys and eyes. Over time, this can lead to kidney failure and vision loss.26
The term for damage to the smaller blood vessels is microvascular disease and it can lead to angina,27 or chest pain that occurs when the heart muscle doesn’t get enough oxygen, as well as sexual dysfunction.28
Another form of damage to the arterial system due to high blood pressure is atherosclerosis,29 may lead to peripheral vascular disease. Atherosclerosis is a narrowing of the arteries that can occur in the arteries that feed the legs, arms, stomach, or head, causing pain and fatigue.
Dietary strategies to maintain normal blood pressure
In addition to eating foods rich in potassium, you can adopt additional dietary strategies to maintain normal blood pressure. The Mediterranean region is known for its abundance of olives and olive oil, fresh vegetables, fruits, seafood and the occasional consumption of red meat. The people who live there are known to be the healthiest, longest living people in the world.30
Most of the health benefits of this diet can be attributed to low sugar, moderate amounts of protein, and plenty of fresh fruits and vegetables, along with healthy fats. Dr. Stephen Sinatra’s PAMM diet, aka the Pan-Asian Modified Mediterranean Diet, is a variation on the Mediterranean diet.thirty first
The PAMM diet highlights the essential nature of eating a “heart-healthy, Mediterranean-style, high-fiber, Mediterranean-style diet,” while emphasizing healthy fats and vegetables while Reduce synthetic fat.32
There was also success33 Lower your blood pressure using the Diet to Stop Hypertension (DASH), which includes large portions of fresh vegetables, fruit, lean protein, whole grains, and low-fat dairy. Although it is commonly believed that results from a low-sodium diet, it is more likely to work because it is low in sugar and fructose.
Eating right to help optimize your blood pressure, thus reducing your risk of kidney disease, heart disease, stroke, and dementia is extremely important. It’s important to note that what you don’t eat is just as important as what you eat, and I recommend avoiding the following foods, which are well known for raising blood pressure:34
- Sugar, processed fructose and processed foods, grains
- Partially hydrogenated oils (synthetic trans fats), found in many processed foods, including packaged cookies, crackers, chips, and other snacks
- Processed omega-6 oils, especially those found in vegetable oils such as corn, canola, soybean, and safflower oil
Includes exercise to control blood pressure
Inactivity and blood pressure are also closely linked – so much so that exercise is considered a first-line treatment by several health authorities, including the World Health Organization, the American Heart Association, and the American Heart Association. International Blood Pressure and US National Commission on the Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure.35
Research shows that inactive people have a 30% to 50% higher risk of high blood pressure than active people.36 As noted in a literature review on exercise and high blood pressure, published in the Australian Journal of Family Physicians:37
“Depending on how well a patient’s BP has been normalized by drug treatment, regular aerobic exercise significantly lowers BP comparable to 1 class of antihypertensive drugs (chronic effect).. .
Overall, resistance training has a favorable chronic effect on resting BP, but the magnitude of BP reduction is less than that reported for an aerobic-based exercise program…
For most hypertensive patients, exercise is fairly safe. Caution should be exercised in persons over 50 years of age and those with established cardiovascular disease (CVD) (or at high risk for cardiovascular disease) and in these patients the advice of a collective physiologist should be sought. clinical education. “
It is important to engage in activities to raise your heart rate and increase blood flow. Many activities can do this, including working out on the court, brisk walking, swimming, biking, and sports like tennis, skiing, rowing, and soccer. Boosting your nitric oxide release also helps normalize your blood pressure by relaxing your arteries.
The Nitric Oxide Dump is an intense workout that I highly recommend that you can easily incorporate into your daily routine at home or at work. Read more about it in my previous post, “Incorporating Nitric Oxide Landfill.”
More non-drug methods to control your blood pressure
The factors that can affect your blood pressure are varied. While diet and exercise are important strategies for managing high blood pressure, there are other ways you can incorporate them to positively affect your blood pressure and improve your overall health. Friend.
Some of these factors include lifestyle choices, such as quitting smoking, and determining your potassium to sodium ratio. Walking barefoot to the ground, intermittent fasting, and reducing stress can also affect your blood pressure readings.
