“It helps to reduce your dietary sodium intake to less than 2,300 mg a day and to follow the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) eating plan, which consists of a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products,” he says.

Snack foods, like potato chips and pretzels.

Luncheon meats, like deli ham or turkey.

Garg, some of the most common sources of dietary sodium also include: But salt isn’t just what you add to your food from the saltshaker. You may already know that salt causes high blood pressure. Myth: As long as I don’t add too much salt to my food, I can eat what I want.įact: It’s not just table salt you have to worry about.

“The long-term damage high blood pressure has on your arteries, however, occurs regardless of whether you have symptoms or not.”Ĭhronically high levels of stress and inadequate sleep can both contribute to high blood pressure. “Unless your blood pressure is dangerously high, you will not have any symptoms,” Dr. Myth: The signs of high blood pressure are obvious.įact: High blood pressure has no symptoms. “The top and bottom numbers both matter - if either of them is high, then you have hypertension, and your risk of a heart attack or stroke is increased,” he says. “Today, if someone has blood pressure over 130/80 mm Hg and has a history of cardiovascular disease - or, if they are at high risk for having a cardiovascular event - their physician may recommend taking blood pressure medication.” “While high blood pressure used to be defined as over 140/90 mm Hg, that definition has changed in the past few years,” explains Parveen Garg, MD, a cardiologist at Keck Medicine of USC and associate professor of clinical medicine and population and public health sciences at the Keck School of Medicine of USC. Myth: High blood pressure is over 140/90 mm Hg.įact: High blood pressure is over 130/80 mm Hg.

Here we debunk some myths and highlight ways to reduce your risk for high blood pressure. This can cause damage to your blood vessels, making them stiffer and decreasing blood flow and oxygen to your heart, eventually leading to heart disease - the No. Also called hypertension, high blood pressure happens when the force required to pump blood through your blood vessels is too high. High blood pressure affects nearly half of adults in the United States, but only 1 in 4 has it under control. Does drinking alcohol raise blood pressure? What are the signs of high blood pressure? Find out the answers - and the truth behind common blood pressure misconceptions.

Printable blood pressure chart for men