High blood pressure or hypertension is the leading cause of death and disability worldwide.
Its known as “the silent killer because as Nova Scotia Hypertension Clinic nurse practitioner Jackie Jayasinghe says there are often no symptoms.
She says its important to have your blood pressure checked regularly, don’t smoke, increase your physical activity and lose some weight, even if its only ten pounds.
“One of the frequent causes of hypertension is sleep apnea. So, if someone were to lose weight, that can improve the sleep apnea which can improve the blood pressure.”
Based on U.S. and U.K. data, the Health Association of African Canadians is concerned that African Nova Scotians are at a much higher risk for high blood pressure.
People of African descent have one of the highest rates of high blood pressure in the world. It affects more than 40 per cent of the African Americans. High blood pressure develops earlier in life and is usually more severe in this population. Those who are sensitive to sodium, who smoke or are overweight are at even higher risk of developing high blood pressure.
Although high blood pressure can damage your organs, especially the heart and kidneys, there are things we can do to reduce risk and lessen complications:
— lose weight, even 10 pounds will help
— eat a healthy diet, low in saturated fat and sodium, but high in fruits and vegetables
— increase your physical activity, aim for 30 minutes a day
— limit alcohol, less than one drink a day for women and less than two for men
— stop smoking
— find ways to reduce stress
— if you take blood pressure medication, follow instructions
The annual Blood Pressure Challenge is underway across Nova Scotia for the rest of this month, encouraging everybody to get their pressure checked to avoid dire consequences in later life.
