Pre-hypertension : A clear warning sign not to be ignored

What is pre-hypertension?  Frank Mangano, author of The Blood Pressure Miracle, defines pre-hypertension as a blood pressure reading of between 120 and 139 for the systolic measurement and between 80 and 89 for the diastolic reading.

Unfortunately, many people don’t take the warning signs of pre-hypertension seriously.  They shrug it off.  They’ll say that stress caused their blood pressure to go up.  It’s temporary and will go back to normal.  Prehypertension isn't a condition to ignore or passively monitor -- it's the first volley from a true enemy of health. The time to worry about blood pressure is when that number tips anywhere between 120 to 139. 

 

Roughly one-third of Americans, 30 percent, already have pre-hypertension, including teens and younger children. 

For those who think that blood pressure can’t hurt you until it drives over the 140/90 line and becomes full-fledged high blood pressure, think again. Studies have shown that, when the data is crunched, people with pre-hypertension alone are more at risk of cardiovascular disease, cognitive problems, diabetes and kidney disease. Lowering your slightly elevated blood pressure lowers your potential for a universe of problems.

If you have pre-hypertension, this is clearly a forewarning that should not be shrugged off.  This is the time to take a good look at your lifestyle and choices you are making and take action to make lifestyle changes now before it’s too late and be led down a path of lifelong use of costly prescription medication.

If you aren’t already eating as healthy as you should be or getting enough exercise, you should make improvements to your diet and incorporate an exercise regiment.  Both diet and exercise play a major role in maintaining good blood pressure.

Salt - Salt is in just about everything. It's impossible to avoid. Restaurant food tends to be high in sodium. The New England Journal of Medicine ran an article stressing that salt consumption should be cut for reasons of heart protection and lower blood pressure.

Smoking - If you are a smoker, you should do everything you can to stop smoking.  It’s just not good for your health, particularly if you have pre-hypertension or high blood pressure.

Stress – We all experience stress in our lives from time to time.  However, ongoing  stress can cause health issues, including high blood pressure.  It’s important to find ways to control stress.  Some helpful ways to reduce stress are exercise, meditation, and hypnosis.

Take action now by making simple lifestyle changes to naturally alleviate pre-hypertension and be sure to keep monitoring your blood pressure.  

Sources: 

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/madan-kwatra/prehypertension-its-not-m_b_433148.html

The Blood Pressure Miracle - Frank Mangano