High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is one of the most common health problems in older adults. This is due to how the body changes with age, specifically, arteries get stiffer and cause blood pressure to rise. If high blood pressure isn’t managed through lifestyle changes and medications, it can cause serious health problems including, heart disease and stroke, eye problems, vascular dementia, and kidney disease. Luckily, blood pressure can be controlled in most cases.
The National Institute on Aging states blood pressure is “the force of blood pumping against the walls of arteries as the heart pumps blood.” Physicians check your blood pressure by using a blood pressure cuff around your arm that slowly tightens. The results are identified through two numbers. The first number is the “systolic blood pressure” caused by your heart contracting and forcing blood out. The second number is the “diastolic blood pressure” which is when your heart relaxes and fills up with blood. Your blood pressure level is classified based on those two numbers.
Older adults tend to have a systolic pressure of 130 or higher, but a diastolic pressure below 80. This is called isolated systolic hypertension and it’s the most common type of high blood pressure in older adults due to age-related stiffening of the arteries. It can cause shortness of breath during physical activity, lightheadedness when standing up, falls, and further serious health problems
Besides following the necessary treatment and medication protocols from your doctor, you can additionally lower your blood pressure by making healthy changes to your lifestyle:
Paying attention to the signs and maintaining a healthy lifestyle is necessary to avoid high blood pressure, however, it is often referred to as “the silent killer” because it usually does not cause signs of illness you can see or feel. So, even if your aging loved one says they are “perfectly fine,” make sure they check their blood pressure regularly to avoid serious health problems.
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