Smoking cessation has numerous health benefits, some of them within 20 minutes. Nearly 50% of adults in the United States have hypertension, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

One common cause of a blood pressure spike is white-coat syndrome. It is defined as blood pressure that is consistently high when a person sees a healthcare provider but is within a normal range when taken outside of the provider’s office. But even moderate alcohol consumption has its drawbacks.

• When hypertension develops after 20 weeks of pregnancy, it is called preeclampsia.
• If you’re age 40 or older, or you’re 18 to 39 with a high risk of high blood pressure, ask for a blood pressure check every year.
• This is because arteries tend to become stiff and collect plaque over time.
• Healthy lifestyle habits —such as not smoking, exercising and eating well — can help prevent and treat high blood pressure.

Treating these conditions can often reverse hypertension. Family members share genes, behaviors, lifestyles, and environments that can influence their health and their risk for disease. High blood pressure can run in a family, and your risk for high blood pressure can increase based on your age and your race or ethnicity. About 6 out of 10 of people who have diabetes also have high blood pressure.1 Diabetes causes sugars to build up in the blood and also increases the risk for heart disease. Healthy lifestyle habits —such as not smoking, exercising and eating well — can help prevent and treat high blood pressure. Most adults with hypertension have primary hypertension, meaning the condition exists on its own with no identifiable cause.

Most people in the United States consume too much sodium. According to the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the average daily intake for adults is 3,400 milligrams (mg) — 48% higher than the recommended limit. Not eating enough potassium—a mineral that your body needs to work properly—also can increase blood pressure. Potassium is found in many foods; bananas, potatoes, beans, and yogurt have high levels of potassium. A blood pressure test involves inflating a band (cuff) around your upper arm and measuring the pressure in your blood vessels.

Public Health

• NHS Better Health has free tools and support to help you lose weight, get active, quit smoking and drink less.
• In 2021, WHO released a new guideline for on the pharmacological treatment of hypertension in adults.
• Several lifestyle habits or behaviors make a person more vulnerable to developing hypertension.
• The heart pumps blood into blood vessels, which carry the blood throughout the body.
• Nicotine raises blood pressure, and breathing in carbon monoxide—which is produced from smoking tobacco—reduces the amount of oxygen that your blood can carry.

Secondary hypertension is less common, impacting around 10% of adults with high blood pressure. This type is directly caused by an underlying health condition, like kidney disease or sleep apnea, or taking medications, like certain painkillers or birth control pills. If you don’t have hypertension, check your blood pressure regularly, especially if you have a family history of the condition. Many people, including those with healthy habits, don’t know they have it. You can lower your risk by adopting a healthy lifestyle. Talk with a healthcare professional as soon as you think it may be a concern.

If you are over 50 years old, it is especially important to pay attention to your blood pressure. The ranges for healthy and unhealthy blood pressure are the same for all adult age groups. If your blood pressure is above the normal range, talk to your doctor about how to lower it. Sometimes just getting a health checkup causes blood pressure to increase.

But the only way to find out if you have high blood pressure is to get your blood pressure checked. If you think you are having a hypertensive crisis, call 911 right away. Children age 3 and older may have blood pressure measured as a part of their yearly checkups. Elevated blood pressure, sometimes called « prehypertension, » is a systolic pressure between 120 and 129 mm Hg and a diastolic pressure less than 80 mm Hg. Experts believe that multiple genes, in combination with environmental/lifestyle influences, are what ultimately cause the disease to manifest. The World Health Organization (WHO) supports countries to reduce hypertension as a public health problem.

Types

Watch out for symptoms including headaches, vision problems, stomachache, nausea, and shortness of breath. Your doctor also can test for other signs of preeclampsia, such as having too much protein in your pee. Your blood pressure depends on how much blood your heart pumps and how difficult it is for your blood to flow bat token exchange data through your arteries. Things that affect either of these factors, such as being dehydrated or having narrow arteries, can impact your blood pressure.

High blood pressure

Family health history is a useful tool for understanding health risks and preventing disease. Elevated blood pressure is blood pressure that is slightly higher than normal. Having blood pressure that is slightly higher than normal increases your risk for developing chronic high blood pressure. Some medical conditions can raise your risk for high blood pressure. If you have one of these conditions, you can take steps to manage it and lower your risk for high blood pressure.

High Blood Pressure FAQs

But in older adults, women are more likely than men to develop high blood pressure. During pregnancy, Black women are more likely than White women to develop preeclampsia. Preeclampsia is a pregnancy disorder that causes sudden high blood pressure and problems with the kidneys and liver. These changes increase the risk for high blood pressure. If your parents have high blood pressure, you’re more likely to develop it. This may be due to family members sharing similar habits, like exercise and diet.

Risk factors

Research from 2019 suggests that a variation in the ARMC5 gene may explain the increased prevalence of hypertension in Blacks and African Americans. About 5% to 10% of people with high blood pressure have secondary hypertension. It’s attributable to a specific cause, such as hypothyroidism.

Women who have high blood pressure during pregnancy are more likely to have high blood pressure later in life. Research shows that medicines used to control high blood pressure during pregnancy lower the chance of pregnancy complications and won’t harm the developing baby. If you’re concerned about your caffeine intake, it’s best to check in with a healthcare professional. As caffeine is known to elevate blood pressure, wait 30 minutes before taking a blood pressure reading. An inaccurate reading can impact your care, according to a 2022 study. While most cases of hypertension are primary (many-faceted), several underlying health conditions can contribute to or cause secondary hypertension.

It’s important to have your blood pressure checked at least every two years starting at age 18. Your blood pressure is a gauge of how much pressure your blood flow creates in your arteries. If it’s too high, it can damage your cardiovascular system. Hypertension (chronic high blood pressure) can also increase your risk of certain complications, such as heart attack or stroke. The risk for high blood pressure can increase even more when heredity combines with unhealthy lifestyle choices, such as smoking and eating an unhealthy diet. Tobacco use increases your risk for high blood pressure.

High blood pressure is a common condition that affects the body’s arteries. If you have high blood pressure, the force of the blood pushing against the artery walls is consistently too high. Health conditions like diabetes or high cholesterol are also risk factors for hypertension. A heart-healthy lifestyle can help prevent high blood pressure and its complications. Still, it’s not yet known how much having a family history of the condition increases your risk.

It is normal for your blood pressure to go up and down throughout the day. For example, your blood pressure might rise after a stressful event, smoking, or drinking alcohol. Ask your provider for a blood pressure reading at least every two years starting at age 18.

When members of a family pass traits from one generation to another through genes, that process is called heredity. Sometimes, therapy involves taking two medications, each from a different category. Blood pressure naturally fluctuates throughout the day and can sometimes suddenly rise or « spike » due to certain causes, such as strong emotions or stress.

It can also increase your risk of diabetes and several cancers. That means there’s no specific cause for your hypertension, and it’s likely due to several factors, including genetics, age, lifestyle, and diet. Your lifestyle choices can increase your risk for high blood pressure. To reduce your risk, your doctor may recommend changes to your lifestyle. As you get older, your blood pressure tends to get higher. This is because arteries tend to become stiff and collect plaque over time.