Dig. Health | Blood Pressure for Your Heart Health

Know Your Numbers: The Importance of Blood Pressure for Your Heart Health

By StoryStudio on January 24, 2024 11:11 AM

Have the past few years raised your blood pressure? You’re not alone. Nearly half of all Americans—116 million people have high blood pressure. When high blood pressure becomes chronic, it’s called hypertension. Worse, many Americans have high blood pressure and don’t even know it. Dubbed “the silent killer” because it often shows no symptoms until very serious, hypertension can cause all sorts of life-threatening complications, from stroke to heart disease, the leading cause of death in the U.S. “When a patient has chronic elevated blood pressure, AKA hypertension, this increases the workload on the arteries and the heart,” says Munir Janmohamed, MD, Cardiologist and Medical Director of the Mechanical Circulatory Support/Heart Failure Clinic at Dignity Health Heart and Vascular Institute of Greater Sacramento. “As a consequence, this can lead to a narrowing of the arteries, which can then cause heart attack, heart failure, kidney disease, vision issues, or stroke.”

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SPONSORED BY DIGNITY HEALTH

First things first, says Dr. J: Know your numbers. That means knowing what your blood pressure is on a regular basis, either by checking it at your local pharmacy or, if you have certain risk factors, by checking it at home with a blood pressure monitor. Modern blood pressure devices are easy to use, affordable, and connect right to your smartphone, providing an accurate reading of your blood pressure and keeping track of the numbers for you.

Know Your Numbers

According to Dr. Singh, there are several advantages to a women-centered cardiovascular program. Offering personalized care led by a female cardiologist and a multidisciplinary team aims to increase the comfort level of women who may be otherwise disinclined to seek care. With many specific diagnostic tests, clinical research trials for advanced therapies, and treatment options for cardiac conditions unique to women, the Woman’s Heart Program alleviates the disparities in care that can arise in cardio programs not geared specifically to women. Using an evidence-based approach to care that incorporates gender-specific guidelines means better outcomes. Furthermore, a collaborative approach with providers that deliver cardiac care for female patients experiencing conditions such pregnancy, cancer, post-menopause, diabetes, and autoimmune disorders increases specialization where it’s needed most. The Women’s Heart Program offers all these advantages while still providing access to Dignity Health Heart and Vascular Institutes’ Advanced Heart Failure Team, Structural Heart Team, and Electrophysiology/Atrial Fibrillation Teams, all in one place.

Warning Signs

Recognizing those risk factors that are unique to women, addressing them early in a woman’s life and educating the community about them will help to solve gaps in care. It’s a well known fact that delaying care leads to worse cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Being proactive will go a long way in keeping women healthy. More than one in three women is living with some form of cardiovascular disease. Yet, the more women who become aware of the risks and symptoms of heart disease, the better chance they have of beating it. After all, heart disease is largely preventable.

Solving Gaps in Care

Many women ignore the warning signs of cardiovascular disease until it’s too late. By raising awareness of those signs, Dr. Singh and the team at the Women’s heart Program hope more women will take a preventative approach to heart health. "As a society, we must aim higher to overcome barriers that prevent cardiovascular survivorship in women.

Heart disease can come in many forms, such as coronary artery disease and congestive heart failure. Treatment for common cancers can also have adverse cardiovascular effects. The good news is that 80% of heart disease is preventable. Dignity Health’s creation of a heart program just for women aims to address the disparities in women’s heart health in hopes that raising awareness will save lives. The mission of the Women’s Heart Program is to provide specialized, comprehensive, and compassionate cardiac care centered around women in a supportive, educational environment. Women have different health experiences. For example, pregnancy, hormones, autoimmune disorders and breast cancer all challenge the cardiovascular system. Understanding this aspect of female physiology can improve cardiovascular health in women.

If you want to improve your blood pressure immediately, the best thing you can do is increase your activity level.

If you’re a woman living in the Greater Sacramento area, take advantage of Dignity Health’s Women’s Heart Program. You could be saving a life — yours.

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It’s very rewarding to provide great care for our patients here.

A Sacramento native, Janmohamed—or as his patients call him, Dr. J—has been practicing cardiology for 10 years. Dr. J is part of Dignity Health’s mission to make world-class, complex care accessible to those who live outside the traditional “big cities” of California. “It’s very rewarding to provide great care for our patients here,” he says. According to heart experts like Dr. J, prevention is the key to avoiding the serious side effects of high blood pressure. Because chronic high blood pressure is often asymptomatic and so common, knowing what your blood pressure is, what the risk factors are, and how you can control it is vitally important.

Dr. J suggests that the best time to check your blood pressure is at home after a meal when you’re relaxed. For those monitoring their blood pressure, check at random throughout the month. For those with hypertension, monitor daily. Checking at home is important because many people experience increased anxiety in a clinical setting. Taking your blood pressure when you’re at home, sitting down, and relaxed can provide a more accurate picture. “Considering the prevalence of high blood pressure,” Dr. J recommends, “every adult should know their numbers.”

Considering the prevalence of high blood pressure, every adult should know their numbers.

While heart experts like Janmohamed recommend that every adult know their numbers, for adults with certain risk factors, knowing your numbers is imperative. “If either of your parents have a history of heart disease or hypertension, you’ll want to be proactive with your blood pressure,” Dr. J explains.

Risk Factors

being overweight eating too much salt and not enough fruits and vegetables an inactive lifestyle drinking too much alcohol or coffee (or other caffeine-based drinks) smoking having a lot of stress being over 65 having a relative with high blood pressure certain races and ethnicities have a higher prevalence of hypertension

Risk factors for hypertension include:

The good news is that many lifestyle changes can have a meaningful effect on our blood pressure. Altering your diet is generally step one. Lowering the amount of salt you eat, avoiding fast food or processed foods, cutting down on alcohol and caffeine—all these can help lower your blood pressure. Quitting smoking and getting more exercise are other impactful changes you can make. “If you want to improve your blood pressure immediately, the best thing you can do is increase your activity level,” says Dr. J. He also notes the importance of work-life balance and reducing stress. “It’s really important to take time for your own mental and physical health,” says Dr. J, who cites himself as an example. “I think physicians, we’re notoriously bad about not having a work-life balance. And I was realizing that recently, as well, too. And I said, I’m going to set some time for myself where I just exercise a little bit every day. It’s not a whole lot, but a little bit to stay active. It's good for you mentally and will also have a positive effect on one's cardiovascular system.”

How You Can Control Your Blood Pressure

Dr. Janmohamed stresses that there are non-modifiable factors, too. As we age, our blood pressure generally rises, changing the guideposts of what constitutes high blood pressure. For example, the National Institutes of Health recommends that those over 70 keep their blood pressure below 140 and those over 80 below 150. Other factors beyond our control include our genetics. When age and genetics are the main contributors to high blood pressure or when lifestyle changes do not result in lowering stage 2 hypertension, medication is recommended. Treatment options are varied and personalized to each patient, says Dr. J. When taking blood pressure medication, it’s vitally important to not skip a dose or stop taking the medication without first consulting your doctor. There are times when blood pressure medication, in concert with lifestyle changes, can lower one’s blood pressure to a point where medication may not be needed, but that should always be a decision made by your doctor. Lastly, when trying to modify your lifestyle, Dr. J tells his patients that it’s a process. “We don’t expect someone who smokes a pack a day to quit cold turkey, or someone not used to walking to suddenly run a marathon,” he says. “Taking moderate steps toward your goal can still have positive effects on your health. Get a blood pressure machine online. Know your numbers. Make incremental changes. Let’s set a goal together, and we’ll help you reach it.”

A blood pressure reading greater than 120/80 is considered high. Blood pressure changes throughout the day according to environmental factors, which is why taking consistent readings is necessary to diagnose hypertension. For example, a person in the hospital with a broken arm is going to have a high blood pressure reading. That doesn’t mean the person has chronic high blood pressure.

Visit DignityHealth.org/HeartandVascular to learn more.

Dignity Health Heart and Vascular Institute of Greater Sacramento is helping its patients tackle high blood pressure head on. By providing resources, guidance, and medical intervention when necessary, it’s empowering patients to become partners in their own health. Controlling blood pressure is a lifelong pursuit, but it’s one that leads to a longer, healthier quality of life.

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Women are often in the caregiver role and prioritizing your health can be difficult including self-judgment. As women, we need to remember that it is okay to put yourself first so that we can take care of our loved ones—the “put on your oxygen mask first” concept.

Considering the prevalence of high blood pressure, every adult should know their numbers.

Take our Heart Health Risk Assessment