The Impact of High Blood Pressure on Your Heart’s Health

Almost half of U.S. adults have high blood pressure — about 120 million people. While that’s an astonishing number, what’s even more shocking is that three-quarters of them don’t have their high blood pressure under control, according to estimates from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.

High blood pressure has no obvious symptoms. However, uncontrolled high blood pressure has a major impact. It silently damages the heart, leading to heart attacks, congestive heart failure, and many other problems.

February is Heart Health Month, so this is a great time to learn more about the impact of high blood pressure on your heart’s health. We’ll also provide some steps you can take to control your blood pressure and protect your heart.

What is High Blood Pressure?

As your heart pumps blood, it creates pressure on the walls of your blood vessels. If the pressure gets too high — a condition called hypertension — it can damage various parts of your body, including the arteries, heart, brain, kidneys, and eyes.

Blood pressure is measured by wrapping a cuff around your upper arm and inflating it to momentarily pause the blood flow. As air in the cuff is slowly released and the flow resumes, your blood pressure is measured in units called millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). This can be done with an automated device or manually by a healthcare professional using a stethoscope.

There are two numbers in a blood pressure measurement:

• Systolic pressure — the force when your heart beats
• Diastolic pressure — the pressure in blood vessels between heart beats  

Systolic is always the first and larger number in blood pressure measurements, while diastolic is the second and smaller number.

Under guidelines released in 2017, blood pressure is put into one of five categories:

• Normal, systolic below 120 and diastolic below 80
• Elevated, systolic between 120 and 129 and diastolic below 80
• Stage 1 Hypertension, systolic between 130 and 139, or diastolic between 80 and 89
• Stage 2 Hypertension, systolic 140 or higher, or diastolic 90 or higher
• Hypertensive crisis, systolic higher than 180 and/or diastolic higher than 120

It’s normal for your blood pressure to fluctuate somewhat as you go about your daily activities. Anxiety or stress can temporarily increase your blood pressure, like when visiting a doctor’s office or hospital (known as white coat hypertension). Mild temporary increases usually aren’t harmful, but when your blood pressure is consistently above normal, it can cause serious medical problems.

What Causes High Blood Pressure?

Stress is one of several possible causes of high blood pressure. Others include:

• Poor diet (such as consuming too much salt)
• Not enough exercise
• Too much alcohol or caffeine
• Smoking, chewing tobacco, or vaping
• Obesity
• Lack of sleep
• Certain medications
• Other health conditions (such as pregnancy, diabetes, kidney disease, or thyroid disorders)

Genetics can play a role, as people with a family history of high blood pressure have an increased risk of developing it. Black adults are more at risk of having high blood pressure, as are people older than 40.

It’s important to get your blood pressure checked regularly. People ages 40 and older should have their blood pressure checked at least once a year. People ages 18 to 39, who don’t have increased risk of high blood pressure, should have it checked at least every two to five years. Those in the 18 to 39 age group with risk of high blood pressure should have annual checks.

Your primary care provider can check your blood pressure during an office visit. You can also get a blood pressure check at health fairs and many pharmacies.

If you have high blood pressure or are at increased risk, you may want to purchase an automated blood pressure monitor so you can take your own readings at home. They are available in retail stores and online for less than $100. You can pay for them with money from your FSA or HSA account.  

How High Blood Pressure Harms Your Heart

High blood pressure makes it more difficult for the heart to push blood through the blood vessels. The heart has to work harder, which strains it. As the heart muscle thickens and weakens, it becomes unable to pump enough blood to other organs (heart failure).

Other heart problems caused by high blood pressure include:

• Chest pain (angina)
• Heart attack
• Heart valve disease
• Coronary artery disease (narrowing or blockage of arteries)
• Arrhythmia (abnormal heart rhythm)
• Aortic dissection (damage to the main artery)

The heart isn’t the only part of the body that can be harmed by high blood pressure. It can also cause:

• Stroke, by damaging arteries in the brain
• Aneurysm, through weakening walls of blood vessels
• Kidney failure, from narrowing blood vessels in the kidney
• Vision loss, by damaging blood vessels in the retina
• Dementia, from reduced blood flow to brain cells

Controlling High Blood Pressure

With so many possible impacts on your health, it’s important to get high blood pressure under control as soon as possible.

If you are unsure whether you have high blood pressure, make an appointment with your primary care provider to get a blood pressure check. If you have hypertension, talk with your provider about creating a treatment plan.

Your provider may prescribe one or more medications to manage your blood pressure. Be sure to take the blood pressure medication exactly as your provider has instructed. Don’t stop taking the medication without talking to your provider. Monitoring your blood pressure at home is also very helpful.

Along with medication, lifestyle changes can help reduce high blood pressure:  

• Be physically active by getting at least 30 minutes of moderate exercise every day, like walking, jogging, cycling, or swimming.
• Add more whole foods to your diet like fruits and vegetables. Eat less processed foods (those sold in cans, boxes, jars, and bags). Be aware of saturated fats and cholesterol. Check out the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet.
• Reduce salt intake by trying to limit sodium consumption to 1,500 mg daily. Read labels to see how much sodium a food contains and look for low-sodium products. Don’t add salt when preparing food.
• Eat foods rich in potassium such as bananas, oranges, spinach, broccoli, peas, and cucumbers. Potassium helps lower blood pressure. However, don’t overdo it, as too much potassium can contribute to kidney disease and cause heart problems.
• Manage stress by practicing relaxation techniques such as outdoor yoga. You can also relieve stress by keeping a journal.
• Limit alcohol to no more than one drink a day for women or two drinks a day for men.
• Quit smoking. Don’t use any tobacco products. Support for quitting is available from 802 Quits.
• Get plenty of sleep. Seven to nine hours of sleep daily is recommended for adults ages 18 to 64, and seven to eight hours is recommended for people ages 65 and older. If you have trouble sleeping, try consuming foods that help you sleep.

If you don’t have high blood pressure, you can reduce your risk of developing it by making the lifestyle changes listed above.

Protect Your Heart

High blood pressure is a common condition that many people may not know they have. Find out if you have high blood pressure, and if so, take action to bring it under control. With lifestyle changes and medication (if needed), you can bring your blood pressure down to a healthier level and help protect your heart’s health.