Is it normal to have high blood pressure

Adults with diabetes, high blood pressure, or both have a higher risk of developing chronic kidney disease than those without these conditions. Measuring your blood pressure is quick and painless. Talk with your health care team about regularly measuring your blood pressure at home, also called self-measured blood pressure SMBP monitoring.

Many people with high blood pressure can lower their blood pressure into a healthy range or keep their numbers in a healthy range by making lifestyle changes. Talk with your health care team about. Learn more about ways to manage and prevent high blood pressure. In addition to making positive lifestyle changes, some people with high blood pressure need to take medicine to manage their blood pressure.

Learn more about medicines for high blood pressure. By taking action to lower your blood pressure, you can help protect yourself against heart disease and stroke, also sometimes called cardiovascular disease CVD. Skip directly to site content Skip directly to page options Skip directly to A-Z link.

High Blood Pressure. Section Navigation. Facebook Twitter LinkedIn Syndicate. High Blood Pressure Symptoms and Causes. Minus Related Pages. On This Page. In addition to helping you lose weight if your doctor has recommended it , exercise can help lower blood pressure naturally, and strengthen your cardiovascular system. Aim to get minutes of moderate physical activity each week.

If you regularly consume too much alcohol or have an alcohol dependency, seek help to reduce the amount you drink or stop altogether. Drinking alcohol in excess can raise blood pressure. If you have risk factors for hypertension, you can take steps now to lower your risk for the condition and its complications.

Slowly work your way up to eating more servings of heart-healthy plants. Aim to eat more than seven servings of fruits and vegetables each day. Then aim to add one more serving per day for 2 weeks. After those 2 weeks, aim to add one more serving. The goal is to have 10 servings of fruits and vegetables per day. Try to limit the amount of sugar-sweetened foods, like flavored yogurts, cereals, and sodas, you eat on a daily basis. Packaged foods hide unnecessary sugar, so be sure to read labels.

People living with hypertension and those with an increased risk for heart disease may be advised by their doctor to keep their daily sodium intake between 1, milligrams and 2, milligrams per day. The best way to reduce sodium is to cook fresh foods more often and limit the amount of fast food or prepackaged food you eat, which can sometimes be very high in sodium.

If your doctor has recommended you lose weight, talk with them about an optimal weight loss goal for you. This can be achieved through a more nutritious diet and increased physical exercise. Employing the help of a trainer or fitness app, and possibly even a dietician, are all methods to help you learn how to make the best choices for your body and your lifestyle.

Keep a log of your blood pressure readings and take it to your regular doctor appointments. This can help your doctor see any possible problems before the condition advances.

People with hypertension can deliver healthy babies despite having the condition. People with high blood pressure who become pregnant are more likely to develop complications.

For example, pregnant women with hypertension may experience decreased kidney function. Babies born to birthing parents with hypertension may have a low birth weight or be born prematurely. Some people may develop hypertension during their pregnancies. Several types of high blood pressure problems can develop. The condition often reverses itself once the baby is born.

Developing hypertension during pregnancy may increase your risk for developing hypertension later in life. In some cases, pregnant people with hypertension may develop preeclampsia during their pregnancy. This condition of increased blood pressure can cause kidney and other organ complications.

This can result in high protein levels in the urine, problems with liver function, fluid in the lungs, or visual problems. As this condition worsens, the risks increase for the mother and baby. Preeclampsia can lead to eclampsia , which causes seizures. High blood pressure problems in pregnancy remain an important cause of maternal death in the United States. Complications for the baby include low birth weight, early birth, and stillbirth. If you develop this condition during your pregnancy, your doctor will closely monitor you for complications.

Because hypertension is often a silent condition, it can cause damage to your body for years before symptoms become obvious. High blood pressure causes no symptoms until it becomes severe. In this article, we discuss the myths and truths of high blood pressure symptoms. Is high blood pressure always bad?

Written by Maria Cohut, Ph. Share on Pinterest Having high blood pressure may sometimes have a protective effect. Latest news Could 'cupping' technique boost vaccine delivery? Scientists identify new cause of vascular injury in type 2 diabetes. Adolescent depression: Could school screening help? Related Coverage. Medically reviewed by Atli Arnarson Ph. Your BP falls within the Hypertensive crisis category and requires immediate attention.

If it remains high, contact your doctor immediately as you could be experiencing a hypertensive crisis. Written by American Heart Association editorial staff and reviewed by science and medicine advisers.

See our editorial policies and staff. High Blood Pressure. Understanding Blood Pressure Readings. Blood Pressure Toolkit. Our monthly e-newsletter delivers helpful articles and the latest news for heart patients and their families. By clicking the sign up button you agree to the Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy. Elevated Elevated blood pressure is when readings consistently range from systolic and less than 80 mm Hg diastolic.

Hypertension Stage 1 Hypertension Stage 1 is when blood pressure consistently ranges from systolic or mm Hg diastolic. Hypertensive crisis This stage of high blood pressure requires medical attention.

Your blood pressure numbers and what they mean Your blood pressure is recorded as two numbers: Systolic blood pressure the first number — indicates how much pressure your blood is exerting against your artery walls when the heart beats.