In a recent update from heart health experts, there’s a new recommendation for people who have slightly high blood pressure.
These experts come from the American Heart Association, a group dedicated to understanding heart health and preventing heart problems.
They’ve been thinking about the best way to help people who are starting to have higher than normal blood pressure, known as stage 1 high blood pressure.
First, let’s understand what we mean by ‘stage 1 high blood pressure’. This is when the numbers that measure your blood pressure (you might have seen them on a blood pressure machine) are between 130-139/80-89.
These numbers are higher than what doctors consider healthy, but not so high that they’re highly alarming.
Usually, doctors suggest that people with this kind of blood pressure should try to get it down by living healthier.
This means eating better, exercising more, not smoking, and limiting alcohol. These changes are often the first step in restoring blood pressure.
However, the new advice from these heart experts is a bit different.
They say that if your blood pressure hasn’t gone down after six months of making these healthy lifestyle changes, it might be a good idea to start taking medicine for it. This is a change from what was recommended before.
Why is this important? Well, about 10% of adults in the United States have this early stage of high blood pressure. It’s quite common, especially in people under 40.
Doctors and scientists have found that keeping your blood pressure below 130/80 is really good for your heart and can prevent a lot of problems like heart attacks and strokes.
So, if you’re living a healthy lifestyle but your blood pressure is still high after half a year, it might be time to talk to your doctor about medication.
This doesn’t mean you should stop the healthy habits – they’re still very important. But sometimes, you need some extra help from medicine to keep your heart safe.
Monitoring your blood pressure regularly is key. If it’s consistently above 130, it’s a sign to have a chat with your doctor. The goal is to keep your heart as healthy as possible for as long as possible.
Interestingly, there’s also some new thoughts about young people who’ve had to take medicine for high blood pressure. They might develop heart problems early in life if they stop taking it.
So, the experts are suggesting that once you start taking medicine for high blood pressure, it’s essential to keep checking whether you still need it, primarily to protect your heart from damage that can happen over time.
The new advice is pretty straightforward: try healthy lifestyle changes first, but don’t hesitate to consider medication if your blood pressure doesn’t improve.
This approach could make a big difference in keeping your heart healthy in the long run.
If you care about high blood pressure, please read studies about unhealthy habits that may increase high blood pressure risk, and drinking green tea could help lower blood pressure.
For more information about high blood pressure, please see recent studies about what to eat or to avoid for high blood pressure, and 12 foods that lower blood pressure.
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