5 Ways to Lower High Blood Pressure: A Primer on Hypertension
Posted by Mike Sonneveldt - See Editorial Guidelines (Last Updated On: Mon Feb 12 2024)
Doctors label High blood pressure as the “silent killer,” and for good reason. Unfortunately, high blood pressure (also known as hypertension) often carries little to no symptoms, giving a person few signs that there might be an issue. As the condition progresses, serious health problems can occur, yet those complications may seem unrelated to the issue of hypertension. Unfortunately, plenty of Americans do not realize how much they need high blood pressure management. Utilizing these 5 ways to lower high blood pressure can help mitigate possible hypertension.
The stats
The CDC reports that in 2021, hypertension was a primary or contributing cause of 691,095 deaths in the United States. Almost 120 million Americans have hypertension, and only about 27 million of those Americans have their hypertension under control with high blood pressure management, let alone with affordable hypertension medication.
The Journal of the American Heart Association concludes that Americans spend 131 billion dollars every year on healthcare costs associated with hypertension. This includes those with hypertension spending nearly triple on prescription medications when compared to those without hypertension. Knowing this, millions of Americans are searching for prescription assistance for hypertension or affordable medication for hypertension.
While dealing with high medical costs can be frustrating, and getting check-ups may be difficult to fit into our busy lives, a regular blood pressure test can be the difference between life and death for older adults. Your doctor can provide regular blood pressure tests and help you formulate a plan on how to best deal with hypertension should you have it. And even though it can be a serious matter, a few changes in approach and lifestyle can create drastic differences. Couple this with an affordable blood pressure management medication such as Enalapril offered through Prescription Hope and you can keep your blood pressure at a healthy range.
What is High Blood Pressure?
High blood pressure, or hypertension, affects the force of blood pumped through your arteries. Arteries are the highways in our body for blood carrying oxygen to other parts of the body. Your blood pressure reading tells the amount of pressure, or force on the walls of the arteries as your heart pumps blood. When you have high blood pressure, the force of the blood pushing against the walls of the arteries is too great, and over time can cause serious damage.
What Do Blood Pressure Numbers Mean?
Managing high blood pressure means knowing and understanding your numbers. We measure blood pressure numbers with two separate numbers: systolic and diastolic. Systolic is the first number measured in a blood pressure reading, and it is the measurement of the pressure in your arteries when your heart beats.
The second number, diastolic, measures the resting pressure of blood in your arteries between heartbeats.
The two numbers combine in a single reading, often stated as, “120 over 80,” or written as “120/80 mm Hg.”
A normal blood pressure reading is less than 120/80. A person considered “at risk” has a systolic level between 120-139 mm Hg and a diastolic from 80-89 mm Hg. Any systolic reading over 140 mm Hg paired with a diastolic reading at 90 mm Hg or above results in a hypertension diagnosis.
Your blood pressure can change throughout the day based on your activities and stress levels, meaning you may benefit from regular blood pressure testing in order to determine whether you are consistently above normal results. If so, a prehypertension or hypertension diagnosis is possible.
Problems of High Blood Pressure
A day or two of higher-than-normal blood pressure readings is not necessarily a cause for concern. Stress, lack of sleep, poor diet and caffeine can all affect a blood pressure reading. However, over the course of time, a consistently high blood pressure can do extensive damage to the body.
Having hypertension can lead to major damage to important organs like your brain, heart, kidneys and even your eyes.
Your arteries become less elastic, resulting in a decreased flow of blood and oxygen to the heart. This leads to an increased risk for heart disease and can also lead to heart attacks and heart failure.
Not only do the arteries flowing to your heart suffer from prolonged hypertension, but the arteries supplying blood and oxygen to the brain can eventually become blocked or even burst, causing a stroke. And even if a stroke does not occur, hypertension has been linked to impaired cognitive function and dementia.
How To Lower High Blood Pressure
Lowering your blood pressure does not have to be a complex and difficult process. Plenty of Americans find that a few changes to their daily habits can bring about massive changes in their blood pressure numbers. 5 ways to lower high blood pressure include:
1) Exercise:
Your weight can have a drastic effect on your blood pressure. Weight affects blood pressure directly on your arteries and heart, or indirectly through things like sleep apnea and breathing difficulties.
However, solutions do exist and can be easy to implement. Harvard states that, in general, blood pressure may go down about 1 mm Hg for every pound lost for those who are overweight. Mayo Clinic reports that men are at a much higher risk of hypertension with a waist size greater than 40 inches, while women are at greater risk when their waist size is greater than 35 inches.
This means that every pound lost and every inch in reduction helps reduce the stress placed on your circulatory system and can aid in lowering blood pressure naturally. Getting daily exercise can make the difference for someone working to get control over their hypertension and provides benefits beyond lowering blood pressure. It is easy to see how exercise made the list of 5 ways to lower high blood pressure.
A recommended 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise per week can aid a person in benefiting from improved health, mood, and energy, as well as helping them achieve a healthy body weight.
2) Diet:
Be sure to shift away from foods high in salt, saturated fat, and sugar. Doing this helps with lowering a person’s blood pressure. Instead, focus on eating fruits, vegetables, nuts, seeds, grains, and lean proteins. Limit red meat, sodium, and sugar-sweetened foods and drinks. Doing so gives you a leg up on lowering hypertension.
Along with focusing on healthy, unprocessed, and natural foods, those with hypertension should be aware of how much sodium they are taking in on a daily basis. While the recommended amount is 2,000 mg of salt per day, many Americans eat far and above the recommended daily amount. After all, 70% of our salt intake comes from processed foods and eating out. A dangerous diet combines lots of sodium with other problematic ingredients, such as saturated fat and sugar. That is why managing your diet is so important.
Change behaviors like eating processed meals or going out to restaurants. Doing this may make the difference between hypertension and normal blood pressure levels. However, it remains only 1 of 5 ways we’ve listed to lower blood pressure.
3) Lower Stress:
All of us have stress. And plenty of us see no escape from the daily grind of life. We tend to feel as though high stress is just a normal part of life. But the truth is, managing stress is vital to remaining healthy. But lowering stress sits as one of 5 ways to lower high blood pressure.
Stress can do considerable damage to the body over a long period of time. It can lead to chronic inflammation which damages artery walls, as well as trigger hormones that raise blood pressure.
Taking control over stress not only lowers blood pressure levels but improves mood, sleep, energy, and enjoyment of life.
Take time to manage stress by praying, meditating, and practicing relaxation breathing techniques. Make sure to get enough sleep and set aside time each day to do something you want to do. Make it a priority to balance your life in a healthy way, and you will see positive results quickly.
4) Take Supplements:
Natural supplements can be useful in lowering blood pressure. Some supplements include:
- Fish oil: Studies show that fish oil is one of the most effective supplements in lowering blood pressure.
- Protein: Improved protein intake can be beneficial to improving blood vessel function and lowering blood pressure
- Aged garlic extract: Some find success with aged garlic extract when lowering blood pressure. People use it both as a stand-alone and as part of a wider supplement regimen.
5) Medication:
One of the most successful options, out of the 5 ways to lower high blood pressure we have listed, is by taking medication. Take some time and meet with your doctor to determine what medication works best, and then take it as prescribed. Your doctor may prescribe you drugs such as Ozempic, Trulicity, and Jardiance in order to control your blood pressure, but your doctor may also request that you implement one or more of the other methods we have listed here. Plenty of high blood pressure management drugs exist, and hypertension medication can be beneficial in the fight against high blood pressure.
But What About The Cost?
Costs of dealing with blood pressure can be difficult, but do not need to break your bank account. You can lower your overall medical costs by improving your health, and you will feel better doing it!
But if you need affordable hypertension medication, we can help you ease that financial burden. At Prescription Hope, we dedicate ourselves to helping you get the medical affordability for your hypertension medication at one low monthly price per medication. For $60.00 a month through Prescription Hope’s medication access service per prescription, you can have peace of mind about your prescription medication budget.
Prescription Hope
Prescription Hope desires to help those across the nation with hypertension get their prescription assistance for hypertension. You deserve affordable medications at a reasonable monthly rate per medication. After all, low-cost drugs should be the norm for Americans, not the exception.
The process
So, determine the right high blood pressure medication regimen with your doctor. Then, go to our website to become familiar with our services. Then, fill out our online enrollment form. After you submit your enrollment form, Prescription Hope will determine based on the information provided whether you qualify.
First orders of medication typically deliver within 2-4 weeks after you qualify and we receive all requested paperwork. Plus, once you receive approval, we manage your order refills!
Your medications are typically delivered in a 90-day supply, directly to your home or healthcare provider’s office, depending on the requirements of the pharmaceutical company that ships your medication.
We desire for every member across America to live without the stress and worry of paying too much for their high blood pressure management or other prescriptions. No one should have to choose between their medication or bills.
We provide a simple, consistent monthly rate of $60.00 per medication for over 1,500 medications. This means that not just people with hypertension can benefit from what we offer.
If you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure and are looking to get low-cost medications, then please visit us at www.PrescriptionHope.com to learn more about how we can save you money every month!
