Blood pressure is the measure of force when your blood goes through your arteries. Blood pressure is measured by using a blood pressure cuff around the arm that tightens and then gradually loosens.
It is given through two numbers: systolic (the pressure when your heart is contracting and pushing out blood) over diastolic (when your heart relaxes and fills with blood). A normal blood pressure reading should be less than 120/80. If the numbers go over, it is considered high blood pressure.
Older people have a higher risk of high blood pressure. There is a condition called isolated systolic hypertension where the systolic number is 130 or higher while the diastolic number is less than 80. This is the most common condition for older people and this could lead to more serious conditions like stroke or heart disease.
High blood pressure is sometimes called the silent killer because you can’t feel its symptoms sometimes. It’s worrying and dangerous. Dizziness or lightheadedness can sometimes be felt, but not all the time. So how can you control high blood pressure if it’s silent?
9 Ways to Control High Blood Pressure in Older Adults
Lose weight
Weight can have a huge impact on blood pressure. As your weight increases, so does your blood pressure. Being overweight forces your heart to pump harder to be able to supply blood and oxygen. As your heart works harder, your blood pressure rises.
Being overweight also increases the risk of having sleep apnea, which can also trigger hypertension. If you have sleep apnea, your blood oxygen levels tend to drop during sleep which increases your blood pressure.
If your loved one is overweight, losing weight is the key to lower blood pressure. Before working on losing weight, consult with their doctor first so they can advise you on what to do. Encourage them to do healthy lifestyle changes to help reduce excess weight. If they aren’t overweight, it is still best to maintain a healthy weight by being active and having a healthy diet.
Eat a Balanced Diet
A balanced diet is the key to being healthy. Processed and preservative-filled food are often filled with unhealthy amounts of sugar, salt, and fat. Eating them regularly can lead to diseases like hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.
For seniors, diet should be stricter as they are more prone to life-threatening conditions like heart disease, hypertension, diabetes, and stroke.
A heart-healthy diet called Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) is the most ideal meal plan for seniors trying to control high blood pressure. It is flexible and balanced so your loved one can still enjoy their food while getting the right nutrients. Focus more on colorful fruits and vegetables, whole grains, lean meat, low-fat dairy, nuts, vegetable oil, and high-fiber food.
Reduce Salt (Sodium) Intake
Sodium is the blood pressure’s enemy. As you get older, your body becomes more sensitive to sodium. A lot of intakes of salt causes your body to retain fluid, which increases your blood fluid volume, resulting in elevated blood pressure.
Watch out for fast food and ready-to-eat food because they are filled with sodium, which can be bad. Try to limit their salt intake and use the DASH method for a low-salt diet.
Reduce (or Quit) Their Vices Like Smoking and Alcohol
Your blood pressure is directly related to your heart health. Having a healthy heart means you’ll also most likely have normal blood pressure. Meanwhile, having a bad heart means your blood pressure would most likely also be affected.
Drinking too much alcohol and smoking increases your risk of heart disease. If your heart is suffering, you are at a higher risk of having hypertension and stroke. If your loved one really can’t avoid drinking alcohol, at least limit it to two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women. If they’re smoking, they have to quit. No matter their age, it is never too late to quit to become healthier.
If they’re struggling to limit or stop their vices, you can consult their doctor for programs available. There are also support groups they can join where they can meet other people going through the same thing as them so they wouldn’t feel alone.
Exercise Regularly
A stronger and healthy heart is the key to maintaining or lowering your loved one’s blood pressure. Being active and exercising helps not just the heart, but the entire body. Exercising also produces more endorphins, the feel-good hormones.
To have a stronger heart, focus more on aerobic or cardio exercises. But if your loved one isn’t used to exercising regularly, don’t force them to suddenly start with intense workouts or they might strain themselves. Consult with their doctor first to get a go signal and start with small exercises like walking and then gradually increase them.
Get a Good Night’s Sleep
Getting good sleep at night reduces your risk of high blood pressure. Having regular and enough sleep is the key to avoiding a lot of health problems. If your loved one already has high blood pressure, lack of sleep can worsen their condition. Having irregular sleeping patterns can also increase the risk of hypertension.
Sleep helps the body control the release of hormones for stress and metabolism. If your loved one regularly lacks sleep, they may experience hormone changes that can increase stress and lead to heart disease and high blood pressure. Alternatively, if they sleep too much, this can lead to high blood sugar and weight gain which can affect the heart.
One of the factors for lack of sleep that contributes to high blood pressure is sleep apnea. If your loved one snores or sounds like they stop breathing during sleep, have them checked by their doctor.
Reduce and Manage Stress
Stress is a huge contributor to hypertension. When you’re stressed, your body releases norepinephrine, a hormone that narrows the blood vessels which causes high blood pressure.
Having problems and being stressed is normal, especially for adults. The important thing is to properly cope and manage them. Ask them to step back and breathe once they start getting stressed. Encourage them to have relaxing hobbies and meditation.
Take Blood Pressure at Home and Monitor It
Hypertension is the silent killer. Most of the time, you won’t feel any symptoms while your blood pressure is already elevated. This is dangerous as this can lead to stroke if not addressed immediately. However, there would be times when dizziness or lightheadedness can be felt.
If your loved one has hypertension, their doctor will advise you to monitor their blood pressure at home. You can buy a blood pressure monitoring machine in stores or online.
Regular Checkups
Since the symptoms of hypertension can’t be felt most of the time, it is best to have your senior loved one be regularly checked by their doctor as they are more prone to serious diseases. If your loved one is already suffering from hypertension, their doctor will advise them or their caregiver to get their blood pressure checked regularly. Their doctor may prescribe them blood pressure medications to help control it.
Having regular checkups is the key to avoiding serious health issues and premature death. Just as the saying goes, “Better safe than sorry”.
Conclusion
High blood pressure is called the silent killer for a reason. You wouldn’t know your loved one is already suffering from hypertension until it’s too late. When high blood pressure isn’t immediately treated, it could lead to stroke and worse, death. Hypertension is dangerous, just as any other disease, if left untreated.
Blood pressure is directly related to the heart. Taking care of the heart, as well as the overall well-being is the key to maintaining or lowering the blood pressure. There are a lot of ways to control blood pressure. The most important thing is to have a healthy lifestyle and avoid stress.
Thoughtful Home Care, Inc. provides respite care in California, so you can rest easy knowing your loved one is in the capable hands of our caregiver.
We provide live-in care, dementia care, and personal care services in Montclair, California.
Contact us to know more.
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