Digging into: blood pressure
Take a moment to reflect with me.
How many people do you know have high blood pressure? Do you have high blood pressure yourself?
It’s more common now than it is uncommon. At least in my world, it seems like everyone around me either has high blood pressure already or is at risk of getting it. But, have you ever asked yourself what it is?
Let’s get digging.
First, high blood pressure can also be called hypertension, and the terms are used interchangeably. Next, the clinical or fancy definition of high blood pressure according to the CDC is “blood pressure at or above 130/80 mmHg”.
Your next question is most likely ‘what is considered normal?’. A normal blood pressure reading is around 120/80, and anywhere close to that is pretty good.
Next, what the heck do the two numbers even mean? The top number is for your systolic (SIS-TALL-ICK) blood pressure, and the bottom number is your diastolic (DI-UH-STALL-ICK) blood pressure.
You have 4 chambers in your heart: 2 atria (A-TREE-UH) and 2 ventricles (VEN-TRI-CULLS). The atria are on the top while the ventricles are on the bottom. The heart mechanisms can get super complicated for how blood flows through it and where your blood gets oxygen, but what is most important to know is that your ventricles are your money makers. They are where your blood collects in the heart and what pushes the blood out of the heart to the rest of your body.
Another thing to know is that arteries take blood away from your heart, think: Artery=Away. Veins are what bring blood back to your heart. Sorry, I don’t have a trick to know that one, but all you need to know is artery means away from the heart.
So, back to those funky numbers. High blood pressure means that your systolic pressure is too high, aka the force or pressure that is hitting your artery walls as the blood is pumped out of the heart is too high. If there is a high force, you can imagine that is not good on your precious arteries. Think about a child that is in the midst of a sugar-high and is playing in a bounce house. It really isn’t good for the infrastructure of the bounce house if the wild child runs into one of the 4 pillars holding up the ‘house’ at full speed over and over. Eventually, there is going to be wear and tear on the bounce house, and it will not be able to perform the way it should. Your arteries are the bounce house, and your blood flow is the sugar-high child.
Hypertension can also be described in stages. Slightly elevated is anywhere from 120-129 for your top number. Stage 1 is anywhere from 130-139 for the top and between 80-89 for the bottom number. Stage 2 is where things get more serious where your top number is greater than 140, and your bottom number is greater than 90. Anything over 180/120 is considered a medical crisis. I have been in plenty of doctor’s offices were my blood pressure is taken silently without any communication to me as to what my levels are. Don’t be afraid to ask about your numbers and your current status. Your are the driver of your health so take charge! Also, you can get your blood pressure readings done at your local pharmacy or buy an at-home kit if that fits your needs.
So, what do we do about this?
Yes, the usual advice helps: lose weight, exercise, eat healthy, etc. But, have you ever asked yourself why that even makes a difference or how do these things lower blood pressure?
Let’s talk about salt. You may have heard that eating less salt lowers blood pressure. Yes, that is true, and there is a biological reason for that. In your body, water has the ability to move in and out of your cells depending on concentrations of electrolytes, nutrients, etc. This is called osmosis. This is your body’s way of staying balanced and functioning properly, which prevents the build up of nutrients or electrolytes in one area. Water will go where things get a little too concentrated. Most of the salt or sodium in your body is in your blood. Think about a young girl who wants to be just like her older sister. She loves to follow her and do whatever she is doing. Water is the little sister and salt is the big sister. Water will follow salt wherever it goes to keep your body balanced.
Now, imagine eating an entire large, salty french fry from McDonald’s.
You just ingested a bunch of salt that entered your blood stream. What happens to the water in your body? It goes to where all the salt is, aka enters the blood stream. If you have a bunch of water that just entered your bloodstream, the extra volume in the bloodstream is going to increase the force on your arteries, thus raising your blood pressure.
When thinking about how exercise helps lower blood pressure, it’s a little more straight forward. Your heart is a big muscle, so the more you work it out, the stronger it gets. Think about lifting weights: the more you do bicep curls, the bigger and stronger your bicep becomes. With more exercise, your heart won’t have to work as hard to pump the blood around your body, which lowers your blood pressure over time.
Now, don’t get me wrong, I love some french fries, too. But, I wanted to share something with you to think about when you hear someone or even yourself being diagnosed with high blood pressure.
As always, reach out to me with questions!
Stay humble,
Emily
