Blood Pressure 150/55
Blood pressure 150/55 - what does it mean?
Your blood pressure reading of 150/55 indicates Hypertension Stage 1. It is the lowest form of high blood pressure.
A blood pressure on hypertension stage 1 for a longer period of time is not healthy, because it already means that your heart has a hard time supplying your body, your vessels and organs with blood.
What you should know about a blood pressure of 150/55
The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association have created blood pressure guidelines to assist in the definition of hypertension and its treatment decision-making process. Stage one hypertension is the intermediary stage between the elevated blood pressure stage, which covers systolic pressures ranging from 120-129 mmHg and diastolic pressures under 80 mmHg, and stage two hypertension, which covers systolic pressures of 140 mmHg and up and/or diastolic pressures of 90 mmHg and up.
When your blood pressure readings consistently, meaning at least two reliable readings on two separate occasions, read 130-139 mmHg systolic pressure or 80-89 mmHg diastolic pressure, it’s considered hypertension stage one.
What Hypertension Stage One Does To Your Body
High blood pressure is a risk factor in cardiovascular disease. Hypertension silently causes mass destruction within the body’s vascular system. Healthy arteries are flexible and strong, but elevated blood pressure causes the pressure of blood flowing through the arteries to increase. This increased pressure eventually damages the cell lining of arteries. The damage can cause an array of problems, including aneurysms, limited blood flow, and fatty deposits.
Your brain-health is also impacted by hypertension. Without an adequate blood supply to nourish it, your brain becomes vulnerable to strokes, TIAs, cognitive impairment, and dementia.
Healthy blood vessels are needed for your kidneys to filter waste and excess fluids from the body. Glomerulosclerosis occurs when tiny blood vessels in the kidneys become scarred due to high blood pressure, leaving your kidneys unable to effectively do their job and dangerous levels of waste and fluids to accumulate. High blood pressure is actually one of the most common causes of kidney failure.
The tiny blood vessels in the eyes can also be damaged by hypertension, which can cause problems that distort your vision or lead to vision loss. Severe retinal and nerve damage can even cause permanent blindness.
What To Do If You Have Hypertension Stage One?
Once your doctor diagnoses you with hypertension stage one, it will be very important to carefully, regularly monitor your blood pressure at home. Accurate, consistent readings will help your care provider determine if treatment measures are effective and if your blood pressure is either stabilizing or progressing toward hypertension stage two.
Experts recommend that people with stage one hypertension initially try lifestyle changes to correct their blood pressure measurements if they don’t have existing cardiovascular disease and are at a low risk of developing it. Otherwise, lifestyle changes will likely be combined with lose-dose medications.
Lifestyle changes like these can lower your blood pressure significantly over time:
- Heart-healthy diet of low salt, low sugar, lean meats, and plenty of veggies and fruits.
- Regular aerobic exercise (150 minutes) per week.
- Maintaining a healthy weight based on your age and height.
- Limiting alcohol to no more than one drink per day.
- Limiting caffeine and other stimulants in the diet.
- If applicable, tobacco cessation.
- Avoiding processed, fried, and fatty foods.
Of course, there are also several classes of medications that your healthcare provider may add to treat hypertension if lifestyle changes alone aren’t enough.
- Thiazide diuretics
- ACE inhibitors
- Calcium channel blockers
- ARBs
- Alpha blockers
- Beta blockers
- Vasodilators
The decision on which medication is best hinges upon your unique medical history, other existing health problems, and specific blood pressure readings.
What Can Help Bring Down Blood Pressure Quickly?
There are several lifestyle and diet changes you can make today that can immediately help lower your blood pressure, including:
- Add potassium-rich foods, like leafy greens and bananas. These naturally lower the pressure within the body and help you excrete sodium.
- Learn to effectively manage stress with meditation, yoga, hobbies, recreational therapy, exposure to green and blue space, and so forth.
- Pick up dark chocolate, which has flavonoids that relax blood vessels.
- Cayenne pepper is a natural vasodilator and very effective at lowering blood pressure immediately.
- Fish oil, garlic, and hibiscus tea are natural supplements with an extensive history in lowering blood pressure.