Know Your Numbers
There are some numbers that we should all know about ourselves to help us manage our health. Keeping an eye on some of these parameters can help us to understand our health and also prevent chronic medical conditions.
The first of these numbers is blood pressure. Blood pressure is the force with which your heart pumps blood against the resistance of your arteries. It consists of two numbers. The systolic (upper number) is the pressure when your heart beats. The diastolic (lower number) is the pressure when your heart rests in between beats.
High blood pressure (hypertension) is often called the silent disease because you may not feel any symptoms when your blood pressure is high. High blood pressure is associated with a greater risk of heart disease, stroke and kidney disease. Normal blood pressure is below 130/80. The lower your blood pressure, the lower your risk of having negative outcomes.
Things that you can do to reduce blood pressure are as follows:
- Reduce your salt intake to less than 2 grams a day. There is an excellent guide to reading labels on food and lowering salt (sodium) intake on the Hypertension Canada website. Avoiding processed foods and not adding salt at the table are a good place to begin.
- Exercise regularly. It is recommended to exercise 150 minutes a week. Even a brisk walk daily can reduce blood pressure.
- Avoid stress. Easier said than done! Although we cannot always control external stressors, we can control our reaction to stress.
- Eat more fruits and vegetables.
- Avoid smoking.
Knowing your blood pressure is of vital importance to better health. There are many self-monitoring devices that are now available and may help you to prevent negative outcomes from untreated and unrecognized blood pressure.
Stay tuned next month for our next installment of Know Your Numbers!
Dr. Bhooma Bhayana is a family physician in London and the mother of two young men and proud grandmother of three! She continues to find wonder and enjoyment in family practice despite more than 30 years on the job!
