High Blood Pressure and Heart Disease
February is American Heart Month. This is set to create awareness and promote maintenance of heart health, also encourage people to focus on their cardiovascular health. According to the CDC, about 659,000 people in the United States die from Heart disease each year, that’s 1 in every 4 deaths.
This year the Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention has highlighted Blood Pressure as one of the leading risk factors for heart disease and stroke. High Blood Pressure is commonly known as the silent killer.
What are the consequences of High Blood Pressure on the Human Heart?
- Hypertensive Heart Disease
This refers to a long-term heart disease that occurs due to high blood pressure over a long period of time. Hypertensive Heart Disease is the number 1 cause of death associated with high blood pressure. There are two types of hypertensive Heart Disease:
- Coronary Artery Disease, uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to hardening and thickening of your arteries. Narrowing the channel of your blood flow.
- Left Ventricular Hypertrophy, also known as an enlarged heart. This is the thickening of your heart’s main pumping chamber walls’ as a result of uncontrolled high blood pressure over time.
How to Manage High Blood Pressure to Avoid Heart Disease?
- Eat Healthily, eat foods rich in potassium and fiber. Lower your sodium intake. Eat fewer processed foods
- Exercise regularly. Regular physical activity. This will help keep you at a healthy weight and lower blood pressure. Here are some amazing ways to keep physically fit.
- Get enough sleep.
- Limit the amount of alcohol you drink.
- Quit smoking
- Cut back on Caffeine
- Reduce stress, occasional stress leads to high blood pressure. Find out what might be stressing you and find a solution on how to reduce the stress.
Lastly, talk with your health care team right away if you think you have high blood pressure or if you’ve been told you have high blood pressure but do not have it under control.