How to manage high blood pressure

Also known as ‘hypertension’, high blood pressure affects more than one in 3 Australians over the age of 18.¹ However, while a diagnosis can be scary, it doesn’t mean you can’t improve the condition and get your health back on track.

Discover the basics of high blood pressure, plus how you can effectively manage yours.

According to Bupa Dietitian Heather Ko, high blood pressure typically doesn’t present with symptoms. “The only way to know if your blood pressure is within a healthy range is to have it measured,” she says.

Luckily, taking your blood pressure is relatively simple. You can have your GP take a measurement, check it at your local pharmacy, or do it at home with a digital blood pressure monitor.

Digital blood pressure monitors are generally easy to use, but Ko has some important advice if you’re using one:

• Take a measurement first thing in the morning. This is when you’re most likely to detect an abnormal reading. It’s best to check your blood pressure before eating, exercising, taking medication or consuming caffeine.

• Sit quietly for 5 minutes before taking a measurement. Avoiding distractions like television, sit with your feet flat on the ground and your measuring upper-arm bare, making yourself as relaxed as possible.

• Take 2 measurements. Do them one minute apart, which can help you establish an average.
• Don’t measure your blood pressure if you’re particularly stressed or in pain. This may result in an unusually high reading.

Once you’ve taken your measurement, the following numbers can give you an idea of where you stand:²

• Optimal: less than 120/80 mmHg
• Normal: 120-129/80-84 mmHg
• High-normal: 130-139/85-89 mmHg
• High: over 140/90 mmHg.

Ko warns that these numbers are just a general guide. For people with particular risk factors, the ideal blood pressure target may differ. As well as increasing age, several factors may put you at a higher risk of high blood pressure, including: ¹

• obesity
• low physical activity
• smoking
• high salt intake
• consuming too much alcohol
• high cholesterol
• diabetes
• a family history of high blood pressure.

It’s recommended that healthy people who don’t fall into one or more of these risk categories have their blood pressure checked at least every 2 years. People at greater risk should have theirs checked every year or more, depending on medical advice. ²

Blood pressure measures the force of blood that pushes against your artery walls. According to Ko, too much force (high blood pressure) “can start to damage that internal lining”.

Consistently elevated blood pressure puts you at risk of serious health conditions. These include: ²

• heart failure
• heart attack
• kidney disease
• stroke.

When it comes to high blood pressure, diet is key. A good place to start is the Dietary Approaches to Stopping Hypertension (aka ‘DASH’) diet, which includes things like increasing your fruit and vegetable intake.³

You should also try to reduce your sodium intake to no more than 2 grams per day^.4 This can be tricky, given around 75% of the salt in our diets is in processed foods (so, it’s important to check food labels).⁵

Cutting back on alcohol is another important way to reduce your blood pressure.

Losing weight is good for your blood pressure. But even without weight loss, exercise is still great for battling high blood pressure.⁶

Check out our tips for starting a fitness journey (and actually sticking with it).

If your blood pressure remains stubbornly high, your doctor may prescribe medications such as an ACE-inhibitor or angiotensin receptor antagonist. According to Ko, these medications are “extremely effective,” usually working within hours, “with a stable response usually taking 3 to 4 weeks”.

Other medications include calcium channel blockers, thiazide diuretics and beta-blockers. Your doctor may recommend taking one of these alongside various lifestyle changes.

And, with sustainable lifestyle choices and support from your doctor, you may be able to reduce or stop taking blood pressure medication down the track.