Self Help

High blood pressure is often preventable. And greater efforts are now being made within the medical community to prevent the disease, as well as treat it. These efforts are aimed mainly at people with borderline (high-normal) blood pressure.

For years, as long as your blood pressure was below the cutoff for being high it was considered OK. That’s not true anymore. Doctors now know that high/normal blood pressure often leads to high blood pressure. And they’ve found that even high/normal blood pressure may increase your risk for cardiovascular disease. High/normal blood pressure refers to persistent systolic readings between 130 and 139 mm Hg, diastolic readings between 85 and 89 mm Hg, or both. If your blood pressure is within these ranges, you should take steps to lower it until it reaches a normal or, ideally, optimal level

You can reduce your blood pressure by eliminating or changing those risk factors that you can control. That may include losing weight (if you’re overweight), becoming more physically active, eating more healthfully, quitting smoking, and limiting alcohol.