Laurie-Ell Bashforth | Special to the 51暗网
You can't see it, you can't feel it... sometimes it's hard to believe your high blood pressure is really there. But what you can't feel can hurt you.
Have you checked your blood pressure lately?
Although there are risk factors, any age, any body can have high blood pressure either episodic or chronic.
What can it do to your body?
Your blood provides valuable oxygen and nutrients to your organs and tissues as it circulates throughout your body. You need a certain amount of blood pressure to make sure your organs and tissues receive enough blood to keep them healthy.
But too much pressure can be a bad thing.
Over time, high blood pressure can damage the organs, including the eyes, kidneys, brain, and heart. This can lead to:
- stroke
- heart attack
- heart failure
- kidney failure
- eye damage
The longer high blood pressure is untreated, the worse the damage can be.
And the damage is being done, even if you can't feel it. That's why it's so important to find a treatment that works for you.
How can you lower your blood pressure?
First, a little bit of lifestyle change can go a long way.
A healthy diet and regular exercise can lower your blood pressure as much as some medications. For some people, these lifestyle changes may be enough. For others they may need to combine lifestyle changes with medications to bring their blood pressure down to a healthy level.
But what if making lifestyle changes or taking your medications as prescribed is easier said than done for you?
You're not alone.
Change is sometimes hard to manage by yourself and is better done with someone else assisting you.聽That鈥檚 why many people get solutions that work from their health care providers who help them stay on track.
For instance, if you're taking a number of medications and are having problems remembering to take them all when you should, talk to your doctor or pharmacist.聽There may be combination medications available for the ones you take to help lighten your medication load. Or medications can be packaged in a way that make it easier for you to remember when to take them.
Remember, you can't get the full benefit from your blood-pressure-lowering medications if you don't take them regularly as prescribed.
Is my blood pressure medication working? How can I tell?
Step one is to make sure you鈥檝e been taking your medication regularly, and as directed.
Step two is to find out what your blood pressure should be, and how often you should check it. This can depend on your medical condition(s), so you should ask your doctor.
Step three is to check your blood pressure regularly. If your blood pressure is not at your target level, speak to your doctor or pharmacist about what to do next and to make a plan to get you back to your target.
What should I know when taking my own blood pressure?
When taking your own blood pressure, you want to make sure you get an accurate reading.
Tips for this are:
- Stay still and relax.
- Don鈥檛 smoke or have caffeine for at least 30 minutes before you take your blood pressure.
- Use the same arm each time.
- Don鈥檛 talk or watch TV while testing.
- Take your home machine to your doctor鈥檚 office once or twice a year, to check that it鈥檚 reading accurately.
When it comes to high blood pressure, the saying "out of sight, out of mind" can be dangerous.
So, talk to your doctor or your pharmacist. You can even monitor your blood pressure at the pharmacy. Your pharmacist can help keep track of your numbers, your understanding of them, and ways to bring your blood pressure down to a healthy level.
If you need help choosing the right at home blood pressure monitor that works for you, speak with us, we can help.
Have more questions? Ask Merv, your Pharmasave pharmacist. By the way, did you know we鈥檙e moving a few doors down?聽Stay tuned and watch our progress on Facebook at Pharmasave Jasper!
