A big life is made up of the small things you do like moving your body, eating healthy, and consulting your health care team to talk about your heart health.
Hello, I’m Dr. Brooke Hildebrand Clubbs at Southeast Missouri State University. February is American Heart Month, a time when people of all ages can focus on their cardiovascular health. This year, The CDC’s Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention is shining a light on high blood pressure, which is a leading risk factor for heart disease and stroke. They are also partnering with Million Hearts on The “Start Small. Live Big.” campaign. Million Hearts is a national initiative to prevent 1 million heart attacks and strokes within 5 years.
You can prevent high blood pressure through diet, exercise, and medication, but another important step is monitoring. Regularly monitoring your blood pressure, with support from your health care team, can help lower your risk for heart disease and stroke. However, it is important to get an accurate reading.
Did you know that 1 in 3 people will experience “white coat hypertension”? This is nervousness that can result in a high blood pressure reading at the doctor’s office, even though you may have normal blood pressure readings outside of it. Additionally, whether you are monitoring at home, a pharmacy, or the doctor’s office, if you smoked, drank alcohol or caffeine, or exercised within 30 minutes of having your blood pressure measured, your reading might be higher. If you are concerned about your blood pressure numbers, talk to your health care team. They can help you make a plan to manage high blood pressure.
