Its blood pressure awareness week!
High blood pressure, also known as hypertension has to be checked regularly to keep your heart healthy. High blood pressure is defined as a systolic blood pressure at or above 140 mmHg and/or a diastolic blood pressure at or above 90 mmHg.
Keep these numbers (140/90) in mind every time you get your blood pressure checked and be sure to track your readings so you know your levels over time. Although blood pressure does generally increase as people age; physical activity, a low-salt diet, and keeping a healthy weight can help reduce your chances of getting heart disease. Eating foods that have a lot of salt is a major reason for high blood pressure. If you are already overweight, eating a lot of salt will increase your risk of heart disease even more.
If you are less than 50 years old, high blood pressure can increase your chance of getting heart disease. No matter how old you are, you can still be at risk for heart disease, so it’s important to stay on top of your blood pressure levels, eat right and exercise to stay heart healthy!