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This week’s blog follows on from last week’s webinar, where Tom and I discussed the topic of blood pressure. It is such a vast topic I could write a book on all the research and mechanisms involved, but for this blog, I am going to try and keep it brief!
To many this doesn’t sound a very exciting topic and can be very tempting to gloss over the subject, especially if you don’t currently have any issues with it, however, I would urge you to persevere and keep on reading because even if you don’t currently have an issue, there are so many things you can do to keep it that way, rather than wait for it to be potentially a problem down line.
So what is blood pressure?
Blood pressure is the pressure of blood against the walls of the arteries, and these arteries are responsible for carrying blood away from your heart to the rest of your body. Blood pressure is measured in units of millimeters of mercury (mmHg), and is given in two figures:
1. Systolic pressure – the higher number of the two measures the pressure of blood at its highest when the heart pushes the blood out.
2. Diastolic pressure – the lower number measures the pressure when the heart rests between the beats.
Our blood pressure fluctuates during the day depending on what we are doing. The NHS advises that the normal range for blood pressure falls between 90/60mmHg and 120/80mmHg. High blood pressure is considered to be 140mmHg/90mmHg or higher, and low blood pressure is below 90/60mmHg.
Why does it matter?
High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is described as the ‘silent killer’ for a reason. Often it can go undetected for many years, and the longer it does, the higher chance of it causing long-term issues to our body. Hypertension is one of the biggest contributors to cardiovascular disease and contributes to half of all strokes and heart attacks. It is also the third biggest risk factor for disease and disability in England after smoking and poor diet.
According to Public Health England, in 2017 it was estimated that 12 million adults in the UK had high blood pressure, and for every 10 people diagnosed with hypertension, 7 remained undiagnosed and untreated which accounted for more than 5.5 million people in England.
Low blood pressure, also known as hypotension often presents with no symptoms, but if it does it can present with lightheadedness or dizziness, feeling sick, blurred vision, palpitations, confusion and even fainting. Sometimes dehydration or medication can cause our blood pressure to be drop, however, if it is something you struggle with it’s always worth getting it checked formally by your GP to ensure there are no underlying health problems.
At Epoch we measure blood pressure at the initial visit and periodically throughout care. It is something we take seriously because if it is left undetected as described above, it can have some serious consequences.
What can we do?
Some scary statistics I know, but the good news is that a lot can be done proactively to avoid blood pressure problems and help ourselves if it is an issue, as many contributing factors towards high blood pressure, are lifestyle-related.
1. Check your blood pressure.
Adults in the UK aged over 40 are offered a check every 5 years with the NHS and if diagnosed with a blood pressure issue, will likely have it checked more frequently. If you have not had it checked for some time and are not currently an Epoch patient, I’d recommend contacting your local practice to see if it is possible. Alternatively, you can buy a blood pressure cuff online, so you can keep an eye on it yourself.
2. Drink Water.
Water is the driver of life; our body is made up of 70% water! It is essential for all of us, but if you struggle with low blood pressure, simply adding more water during your day may help.
If you have high blood pressure, hydration is also key. If we are dehydrated our blood becomes thicker which causes more pressure inside our blood vessels, which raises our blood pressure.
3. Nutrition.
Highly processed and packaged foods and drinks often contain high quantities of sugar and salt to make them taste better. This is very pleasing on the palate, but research indicates that if this diet is consumed consistently, it will contribute to elevated blood pressure and will likely contribute to increased weight, which again is a risk factor. It doesn’t have to be complicated when it comes to food. Ideally, choose fresh over processed, if you look on the ingredient list and are unsure what the word means, it probably isn’t good for you so try to avoid it.
As well as eating a ‘real food’ diet, here are some added tips for you to consider when out shopping next which have been linked to helping lower blood pressure:
4. Alcohol and Smoking
Drinking more than 3 alcoholic drinks a day or binge drinking regularly has been associated with increased blood pressure and cardiovascular disease. There are a number of reasons why this happens, but in short, it encourages our blood vessels to narrow and heart rate to increase. Therefore, causing more stress and pressure on our system. Try to keep your alcohol intake to a minimum, or avoid completely if you can.
We all know smoking is bad for us and it has been linked to increasing our risk of heart attacks and strokes. Although the link to high blood pressure is still being determined, smoking increases the risk of our blood vessels hardening due to a build-up of plaque (called atherosclerosis). High blood pressure has been linked to accelerating this.
5. Stress
Stress is normal, and it would be unrealistic to say we should go through life without any stress, in fact, our body is designed to deal with it. The issue comes when our body stays in that stress mode long term. When it does, our stress hormones continue to be released (cortisol and adrenalin) which increases our heart rate and encourages our blood vessels to narrow. If this is sustained over a long period of time, it will contribute to that elevated blood pressure. Here is something that may help…
Breathe in for 4 seconds through the nose.
Hold for 4 seconds.
Exhale through your mouth for 4 seconds.
Pause for 4 seconds and repeat.
This is also great practice to train ourselves to breathe through our nose rather than an open mouth, as studies have indicated that if we breathe through our mouths all of the time, it can also contribute to increased blood pressure.
6. Exercise
Our bodies are designed to move and our vascular system is designed to be challenged positively. Regular exercise which increases our heart rate is key. Our heart is a muscle, and the more it is used the stronger it gets. Exercise helps our heart and blood vessel walls to stay elastic and healthy, and the stronger our heart is, the more efficient it works which helps to reduce blood pressure. Try to incorporate at least 30 minutes of intentional exercise a day. If unsure what is right for you due to your blood pressure, speak to your GP first.
Sustained change to our blood pressure can be a serious matter and if you are in doubt, please consult with a medical professional. As well as helping yourself with the above tips, there are a number of medications designed to assist with blood pressure too which may be prescribed by your GP if appropriate. However, don’t forget to ask yourself ‘why’ there may be an issue and take a moment to consider if there is anything you can do proactively to help, as this will really help support your health long term.
I hope this helps and please share with anyone who you feel may benefit.
With love,
Sarah
