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Maintaining healthy blood pressure levels is essential for your health. Learn about prehypertension, how to avoid hypertension and more.

High blood pressure is a significant threat to your health, leading to visual loss, kidney failure, stroke, and heart disease. In 2003, the Joint National Committee on Prevention Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure released its Seventh Report.

While this report included a category for prehypertension, new guidelines by the American Heart Association (AHA) replace the categories. According to these new guidelines, there are 5 categories: normal, elevated, hypertension stage 1, hypertension stage 2, and hypertensive crisis. Moreover, the AHA guidelines lower the threshold for high blood pressure and elevated blood pressure.

Measuring Prehypertension

Prehypertension, How to Avoid HypertensionIn place of prehypertension, we now have “elevated” blood pressure, which is 120-129 SBP and less than 80 DBP. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) is the top number and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) is the bottom number.

If you alternate between arms when measuring your blood pressure, always go with the higher reading. After all, the purpose of the readings is not to comfort you but to indicate whether hypertension treatment is necessary.

High Blood Pressure Risks

More than 59 million American adults have elevated blood pressure (or “prehypertension”), which may lead to hypertension if left untreated. People with elevated blood pressure are twice as likely to develop hypertension than those in the normal range. Furthermore, the condition also increases the risk of heart disease and heart attacks.

While heart disease is the leading cause of death among everyone, the average man develops heart disease 10 years earlier. Some studies suggest blood pressure during youth as a factor, with males having higher readings than females at a younger age. In addition, atherosclerosis also begins in youth, which may also play a role in high blood pressure risk in males.

How to Avoid Hypertension

Best Heart Health SupplementWhile hypertension may not be completely avoidable due to external factors, you can lower the risk of developing it. Since high blood pressure doesn’t usually cause symptoms, it’s important that you measure your blood pressure with a high-quality machine. Also, find out if you have any cardiovascular risk factors such as high cholesterol levels, diabetes, mental stress, and more.

By sharing this knowledge with your doctor, you can make an effective plan that will specifically benefit your health. Most treatment options deal with lifestyle changes like eating low-sodium diets, exercising 150 minutes per week, and maintaining a healthy weight. Also, you should limit or eliminate the things that harm you such as alcohol consumption, tobacco use, and stress.

If your doctor deems it necessary, they can also prescribe medications to help you control your levels alongside lifestyle changes. Finally, you can try supplements like HeartBeet Complete that promote circulation and lower blood pressure levels. As you adopt healthy lifestyle changes like exercising regularly and taking supplements like HeartBeet Complete, you can give your health the support it needs.