Keeping your blood pressure at a healthy level is incredibly important for everyone, no matter what their age. As we get older, however, our blood pressure changes and it becomes more difficult to keep a “normal” blood pressure.
“High blood pressure, or hypertension, is something that affects one in three of adults,” says Erica Labb, Executive Director of Bridges® by EPOCH at Westford. “One in two adults over age 65 will develop definite high blood pressure because age itself is a known risk factor. Hypertension can lead to such issues as heart attacks and stroke, and potentially even dementia.”
In fact, says Erica, it’s particularly important for seniors with dementia to have their blood pressure monitored. “Since dementia is a disease that affects the brain, it’s essential for the brain to remain as healthy as possible – and hypertension can cause strokes and other issues in the brain,” she says. “Maintaining good blood pressure can help a senior with dementia hold on to their abilities for as long as possible.”
What is blood pressure?
It may seem like a silly question – but what, exactly, is blood pressure? Blood pressure is the force of blood against the inner walls of your arteries. It fluctuates throughout the day depending on what you’re doing, and can increase temporarily due to factors like exercising, being under stress or being excited. When your resting blood pressure becomes too high for too long, it can weaken your blood vessels, which can increase your risks for stroke, heart attacks, dementia, kidney problems, erectile dysfunction, circulation problems and a whole slew of other issues. In short: high blood pressure has no upsides and many downsides.
What do the numbers I get from a blood pressure reading represent?
If you’ve had your blood pressure read recently, you know that it consists of two numbers: systolic over diastolic. Systolic is the higher number, and is representative of the pressure at the maximum part of your heartbeat (when the heart chambers are contracting to push blood through your circulatory system). Diastolic, the lower number, is the pressure of your blood in-between those heartbeats. Generally, a reading of 120/80 or less is considered “safe.” Hypertension is defined as a blood pressure reading of 130/90 or higher.
How does blood pressure change as we age?
Your systolic blood pressure – the one that measures the pressure when your heart contracts – typically rises as we age. Conversely, the diastolic typically falls. This occurs whether you already have blood pressure issues or not. If you already have blood pressure issues, be aware that you’ll experience this increase-decrease even if your blood pressure is already controlled with medicine – making it even more essential for seniors to regularly visit their doctors to make sure their medication is still working.
Why does this happen?
In short, no one is really sure, although it is a topic of intense research.
What other risk factors cause high blood pressure?
Besides aging, you may have an increased risk of high blood pressure if you’re overweight, if you smoke, if you eat a poor diet (not enough fruits and vegetables and too much alcohol/fatty foods/processed foods) or if you don’t get enough exercise. There are other risk factors, like age, that simply can’t be controlled. Fortunately, high blood pressure is easy enough to treat by staying on top of your regular checkups and making good lifestyle choices.
What can I do as I age to maintain a healthy blood pressure?
The best thing seniors can do is live a healthy lifestyle and make good choices. Here are some of the most effective ways to lower your risk of developing hypertension – and can also lower your numbers if you’re already experiencing high blood pressure.
Lose some weight. Excess weight, particularly fat stored around your abdomen, can raise your blood pressure in two ways: by increasing your blood volume and also changing the balance of your hormones (really). If you’ve noticed you’re carrying around a few extra pounds, make an effort to lose them. Research shows that even modest weight loss – seven to eight pounds – can potentially reduce your hypertension risk by at least 50 percent.
Moderate your alcohol intake. Having three or more drinks at a time can temporarily increase your blood pressure due to the way your body processes alcohol. Drinking too much on a regular basis can eventually cause chronic hypertension. Excessive alcohol drinking can also pile on the calories, leading to weight gain, which also causes high blood pressure.
Get more exercise. Physical activity is one of the best ways to reduce your hypertension risk. It keeps your arteries flexible, reduces activity in your nervous system and can overall lower your numbers by 8-10 points, if you already have high blood pressure. Plus, regular exercise can help you keep extra weight off, reduce your stress levels and improve your heart function.
Eat a heart-healthy diet. Certain foods contain minerals that can regulate (or increase) your blood pressure. Calcium, magnesium and potassium can help you maintain a healthy blood pressure level, while too much sodium or saturated fat increases it. Fill up on low-fat dairy, healthy fats like nuts and avocados, lean proteins and, of course, lots of fruits and vegetables.
Quit smoking. Smoking wrecks havoc on your body, damaging arteries, increasing your risk of heart disease and certain cancers and also elevates your blood pressure due to the chemicals in tobacco products. If you’ve never started, don’t begin. If you currently smoke, speak to your doctor to find ways to quit.
Reduce your stress levels. When you meditate or practice other stress-relieving activities, your blood pressure drops. Plus, you’ll feel better and make better, healthy choices that will contribute to a heart-healthy lifestyle.
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