“Take Care Of Your Body. It’s The Only Place You Have To Live” – Jim Rohn
Small steps can lead to big changes. Know what’s good for your body and take action. It is the best way to prevent chronic conditions such as hypertension. Knowing what leads to changes in your blood pressure, will help you catch prehypertension and act early.
What is Meant by Prehypertension?
High blood pressure or hypertension is a condition where your blood pressure is consistently above the normal levels (120/80 mm Hg). Whereas, prehypertension is a stage before hypertension where you are at risk of developing high blood pressure.
High blood pressure can lead to cardiovascular conditions, kidneys diseases, vision and memory problems. Therefore, you should take the necessary precautionary measures during this stage (prehypertension) to avoid reaching hypertension.
What is the Prehypertension Blood Pressure Range?
In prehypertension, your systolic blood pressure (top number) ranges from 120 to 139 mm Hg, and your diastolic blood pressure (bottom number) ranges from 80 to 89 mm Hg.
What Causes Prehypertension?
A number of factors can contribute to prehypertension such as having a family history of hypertension, unhealthy food habits, and lifestyle choices.
It can also occur as the result of certain medical conditions such as thyroid or adrenal diseases, kidney disorders, and sleep problems such as obstructive sleep apnea.
What are the Signs and Symptoms of Prehypertension?
Prehypertension is often asymptomatic. Typically, you will not experience any noticeable symptoms. The only way to detect it is through regular blood pressure screenings. However, in some cases, people may report early signs that could be linked to elevated blood pressure levels:
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Mild headaches
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Dizziness or light-headedness
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Fatigue
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Blurred vision
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Shortness of breath (especially during physical activity)
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Increased heart rate or palpitations
If you have a family history of hypertension or suffer from any condition that increases your risk of developing high blood pressure, it’s essential to monitor your levels regularly – either at home or during routine checkups with your doctor.
What are the Treatment Measures for Prehypertension?
The following strategies will help you manage prehypertension:
Maintain a Healthy Weight
Being overweight or obese increases your risk of developing high blood pressure. Maintaining an ideal weight will help you prevent hypertension and will also contribute to your overall health.
Exercise Regularly
Leading an inactive or sedentary lifestyle is one of the risk factors for high blood pressure. Staying active or exercising regularly helps you maintain a healthy weight, improves your blood circulation, and thus lowers the risk of developing high blood pressure.
Have a Healthy Diet
Diet plays an important role in maintaining healthy blood pressure. Include plenty of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products in your diet. Following a DASH diet is recommended for preventing and managing high blood pressure. It includes a diet that is high in fiber, potassium, magnesium, calcium, and protein.
Cut Back on Dietary Sodium
Sodium leads to water retention and thus increases your blood volume. The higher the blood volume, the more is your blood pressure. Limiting or cutting back on dietary salt or sodium helps in lowering your blood pressure.
Limit Saturated Fat and Cholesterol
A diet that is high in saturated fats and cholesterol (such as meat and high-fat dairy) can increase the risk of developing high blood pressure. Choosing a plant-based diet and including more fruits and vegetables in your diet can help manage your blood pressure well.
Restrict Alcohol
Drinking too much alcohol can put you at risk of developing high blood pressure. Limiting alcohol consumption can help you control your blood pressure.
What Happens if you Don’t Manage Prehypertension at an Early Stage?
Not managing prehypertension at an early stage can lead to hypertension. Hypertension can eventually cause damage to your blood vessels and affect the functioning of your vital organs such as the heart and kidneys. Therefore, make sure you monitor your blood pressure levels regularly to detect any variations and manage them early.
Don’t Have Time To Read?
- Prehypertension is a stage before hypertension, where you are at risk of developing high blood pressure.
- In prehypertension, your systolic blood pressure (top number) ranges from 120 to 139 mm Hg, and your diastolic blood pressure (bottom number) ranges from 80 to 89 mm Hg.
- A number of factors can contribute to prehypertension such as having a family history of hypertension, unhealthy food habits, and lifestyle choices.
- Typically you will not experience any symptoms with prehypertension.
- A healthy diet and lifestyle modifications will help you manage prehypertension and prevent the risk of high blood pressure.
Frequently Asked Questions
There is no one best time to measure your blood pressure. Ideally, you can monitor your blood pressure several times a day. A common practice is to measure it twice a day. Once in the morning before food and medications and the second time in the evening.Sit or lie down in a comfortable position. Place one hand just below your ribs and the other on your chest. Now breathe in deeply, making sure that the hand on your ribs is rising (this ensures that you are breathing deep from your stomach). Hold your breath for a few seconds, and let it out slowly through your mouth. Repeat for 5 minutes and as necessary throughout the day.
2. 30-second breathing exercise:
Sit down in a comfortable position. Take in a deep breath while counting to four. Hold your breath till the count of four. Exhale slowly while counting to four. Repeat for 30 seconds and as necessary throughout the day.
3. Alternate nostril breathing:
Sit down in a comfortable position with your back straight and legs crossed. Use your thumb to press down and close your right nostril. Take a deep breath in through your left nostril and hold it in. Now press down on your left nostril with your fingers and exhale through your right nostril. Alternate and repeat for 5 minutes and as necessary throughout the day.
The 4 stages of hypertension are:
- Normal (< 120/80 mm Hg)
- Elevated or Prehypertension (120-139/ 80-89 mm Hg)
- Hypertension stage 1 (140-159/ 90-99 mm Hg)
- Hypertension stage 2 ( 160/100 mm Hg or higher)
