Lincoln – The number one killer of women in the U.S. is heart disease, and high blood pressure is one of its key risk factors. October 17-23 is National Women’s Blood Pressure Awareness Week, and an excellent time to empower women to take simple, everyday actions to improve their heart health.
This year’s theme, Healthy Pressure, Healthy You – highlights the connection between blood pressure and overall health and the importance of women maintaining healthy blood pressure levels at every age and stage of their lives.
High blood pressure, also called hypertension, occurs when the pressure or force of blood flowing through your arteries is higher than normal. If the pressure of blood pushing against the artery walls is too high, it can damage your arteries and cause other complications.
Blood pressure is a measure of:
- Systolic pressure (the top number): the pressure as your heart beats or pumps blood into your arteries.
- Diastolic pressure (the bottom number): the pressure when your heart rests between beats.
- To lower your risk of heart disease and stroke, try to maintain your blood pressure at less than 120 systolic/80 diastolic.
You may have an increased risk of high blood pressure if you have a family history of the disease. Other risk factors include unhealthy diet, lack of physical activity, tobacco use, and obesity.
High blood pressure does not usually have symptoms; it is estimated that half of all Americans with high blood pressure do not realize they have it. Encouraging women to monitor their own blood pressure levels is essential to helping reduce and control high blood pressure – one of the most preventable causes of pregnancy-related deaths and overall mortality for women. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that nearly half of women who have hypertension (high blood pressure) do not have it under control.
Research shows pre-pregnancy high blood pressure rates nearly doubled in the United States between 2007 and 2018. That means more women may be at risk for pregnancy-related high blood pressure, also called preeclampsia, which can harm the mother’s kidneys and other organs and can cause the baby to be born too early or underweight. If you’re pregnant, thinking about becoming pregnant, or have recently given birth, it’s important to talk with your health care provider about managing your blood pressure.
For most women, high blood pressure can be controlled through lifestyle changes such as reducing salt intake, increasing physical activity and managing stress in healthy ways. Other healthy habits include:
· Increasing self-care activities – such as eating healthy, exercising, and de-stressing through meditation, yoga, or quiet time – can help you achieve and maintain a healthy blood pressure. By self-monitoring your blood pressure, you may also discover personal “triggers” that may increase stress and your blood pressure.
- Losing weight, according to your doctor’s recommendation.
- Getting at least 30 minutes of physical activity most days, or 150 minutes of activity each week.
- Stopping smoking. Find resources to help you quit at women.smokefree.gov
- Eating healthy
- Lowering sodium in your diet.
- Moderating or stopping alcohol consumption.
- Taking blood pressure medicine, according to your doctor’s prescription.
You can get more about National Women’s Blood Pressure Awareness Week at https://www.womenshealth.gov/nwbpaw.
