Heart Month: Preventing and Managing High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure affects about half of US adults and is the most common and preventable risk factor for cardiovascular disease and death (American College of Cardiology, 2025). In August of 2025, the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology released a new blood pressure treatment goal of less than 130/80 mm Hg for most adults. This new guideline aims at prevention, early treatment, and reducing the risk of heart attack or stroke.
Blood pressure is the force of blood moving against the walls of your arteries. Routine screening for high blood pressure is extremely important. In most cases, people don’t have symptoms to alert them their blood pressure is too high. The only way to know is to have regular blood pressure checks. Although uncommon, even kids can have high blood pressure and should have this checked during their well child checkups beginning at age three and continue throughout their lifetime.
Here are a few steps you can take to help get an accurate blood pressure reading at home or at your clinic appointment.
Before your screening:
- Avoid smoking, caffeinated beverages, alcohol, and exercise 30 minutes prior.
- Empty your bladder.
- Sit quietly for at least 5 minutes.
- Use the correct size cuff for your arm. Use the lines on the cuff to make sure it is the right size for your arm. If the cuff is too small or too large the results will be inaccurate.
Position:
- Position yourself upright in a chair with your back supported.
- Rest your arm on the armrest at heart level.
- Keep feet flat on the floor with legs uncrossed.
- Place cuff on your bare upper arm.
During screening:
- Stay relaxed.
- You should not talk or be talked to.
Some risk factors are out of your control such as older age, family history, race (African Americans have higher rates of high blood pressure than White Americans), and having chronic kidney disease. Take control of what you can by making lifestyle changes to lower your risk of high blood pressure. These include maintaining a healthy weight, quitting smoking, being physically active, eating a nutritious diet, reducing alcohol consumption, and managing stress. Talk to your healthcare provider if you need help getting started with these healthy lifestyle changes.
Food choices can either hinder or benefit your health. High salt diets often contribute to high blood pressure. This happens because sodium in the diet causes your body to hold on to extra fluid resulting in increased pressure in your vessels. Foods containing higher amounts of sodium include processed foods, fast food, processed meats, and salty snacks. Foods containing unhealthy fats lead to a buildup of plaque in the arteries causing them to narrow and become less flexible. Plan meals with fruits, vegetables, whole grains, nuts, low-fat dairy products, and lean protein like poultry and fish. Making a plan for meals and snacks can help you avoid making unhealthy choices when you are hungry or short on time. Keep some of these available to grab and enjoy.
Your heart rate and blood pressure rises each time you smoke or vape. It also raises triglycerides, lowers “good” cholesterol, and causes your blood to be more sticky and therefore more likely to form a clot. Long-term nicotine exposure damages vessels throughout the body by causes them to form plaque. Sometimes this plaque that lines vessels can break off causing a blockage leading to heart attack or stroke. Your risk of heart attack drops rapidly after quitting smoking and continues to reduce over time (U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2024). That means it’s not too late to quit.
Alcohol affects blood pressure by causing changes in your metabolism and hormones that affect heart rate and constrict blood vessels thus raising blood pressure. Heavy alcohol use is drinking more than 3 drinks a day for women or 4 for men. Over time, heavy alcohol use leads to many negative health consequences including raising your top blood pressure number by around 5.5 mm Hg and your bottom number by 4 mm Hg (Mayo Clinic, 2024). Alcohol further complicates the situation by causing weight gain and affecting how some blood pressure medications work.
Without knowing it high blood pressure can damage blood vessels in many areas of the body including the kidneys. Kidney disease happens when the damage reduces the kidney’s ability to filter the waste and fluid from your blood. Kidneys also play a role in blood pressure control. The combination of these events creates a cycle of increased blood pressure and worsening kidney damage.
Having high blood pressure puts stress on all the vessels of the body including the small vessels in the brain. When these vessels are damaged, blood flow to critical areas in the brain responsible for thinking and problem solving can occur. Early treatment of elevated blood pressure is essential for maintaining brain health. Maintaining good blood pressure control in early and midlife can decrease your risk of developing dementia as you age (American Heart Association, 2021).
High blood pressure during pregnancy can lead to life threatening complications for mom and baby. These complications can be short or long term. Quick treatment of high blood pressure before, during, and after pregnancy is vital. Having high blood pressure during pregnancy puts you at increased risk of developing high blood pressure later in life. Close control over high blood pressure during pregnancy can help reduce complications.
Physical activity has many benefits for your physical and mental health. Experts recommend moving your body for 150 minutes per week for adults and 60 minutes a day for kids. Find an activity that you enjoy to help you stay motivated. Mix up your workouts by doing different activities like walking and strength training. Choosing a time of day can help you be consistent which makes movement a habit. You can break up your activity into shorter times throughout the day and get the same benefit. Don’t stress about what you will do or how you will do it, just move your body!
Stress management is another key in reducing blood pressure. Deep breathing, mindfulness exercises, and simplifying an overwhelming schedule are some ways to fight the effects of stress. This is an essential part of taking care of your well-being.
For some people, medication is necessary. Medication in combination with lifestyle changes can be very effective. Taking medication for high blood pressure is not a sign that you have somehow failed at lowering your blood pressure. Your provider will define your goal blood pressure and prescribe medications if it’s right for you. It will be important for you to take these as prescribed.
Know your numbers and talk with your provider about blood pressure. Understanding your risk is helpful in making healthy choices and following a treatment plan that’s right for you. Even small changes can have a big impact on your health.
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Sources
American Heart Association. (2025, August 14). New High Blood Pressure Guideline Emphasizes Prevention, Early Treatment to Reduce CVD Risk. https://newsroom.heart.org/news/new-high-blood-pressure-guideline-emphasizes-prevention-early-treatment-to-reduce-cvd-risk
American College of Cardiology. (2025, October 1). New in Clinical Guidance: High Blood Pressure Focus of New ACC/AHA Guideline. https://www.acc.org/latest-in-cardiology/articles/2025/10/01/01/new-in-clinical-guidance-hbp
National Kidney Foundation. (n.d.) High Blood Pressure and Chronic Kidney Disease. https://www.kidney.org/high-blood-pressure-and-chronic-kidney-disease
Mayo Clinic. (2024, October 16). Alcohol: Does it Affect Blood Pressure? https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/expert-answers/blood-pressure/faq-20058254
Mayo Clinic. (2025, September 18). Vascular Cognitive Impairment and Vascular Dementia. https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/vascular-dementia/symptoms-causes/syc-20378793
American Heart Association (2021, October 4) High Blood Pressure Before Midlife Linked to Smaller Brain, Greater Dementia Risk. https://www.heart.org/en/news/2021/10/04/high-blood-pressure-before-midlife-linked-to-smaller-brain-greater-dementia-risk