The best ways older adults and seniors can lower blood pressure

High blood pressure is often called the “silent killer,” as it has almost no symptoms, yet can lead to serious ailments such as heart attacks, strokes, peripheral artery disease, and heart failure. As we age, we become more and more vulnerable to having high blood pressure and its health threats. Here are a few simple yet powerful ways to help lower or prevent high blood pressure: 

Monitor Your Blood Pressure 

The most important step to prevent high blood pressure is to keep track of your current blood pressure. This serves to raise your awareness of your health, as well as track your progress as you work to lower or maintain your blood pressure. You can do this through regular check-ups with your doctor, or you can purchase a home blood pressure monitor and follow the proper instructions to get an accurate reading. 

Maintain a Healthy Weight

The American Heart Association recommends maintaining a body mass index (BMI) between 18.5 and 24.9. BMI is calculated by taking a person’s weight in kilograms divided by the square of their height in meters. Check your current BMI here. If you feel your blood pressure is too high, then you might want to make the effort to lose weight or check if your BMI is healthy. If you want to maintain your blood pressure, then maintaining your weight is important. Either way, you can use an app like the BMI and Weight Tracker to keep track of your progress. 

Eat Heart Healthy 

A healthier diet includes eating more fruits, veggies, and less saturated and total fat. Most importantly, a heart healthy diet means less sodium. See the American Heart Association’s tips for cutting salt out of your diet by reading food labels more closely, being more aware of where most of the sodium from our diet comes from, and substituting different spices for salt. The American Heart Association also recommends the DASH eating plan, which emphasizes healthy food over red meat, sodium, and salts. See page 3, box 2 of this informational report to see details on the DASH eating plan, and you can get a sample menu of what eating on DASH looks like. . 

Get Active

Physical activity is the key to a healthy lifestyle, as well as to lowering blood pressure. It’s recommended that you get at least 2 hrs and 30 mins of moderate physical activity per week, which could be broken up in whatever way that fits your schedule. For example, physical activity for 30 minutes a day five days a week fulfills that recommendation. What counts as moderate physical activity will vary person to person, but usually a brisk walk will do the trick. For older adults, moderate activity could include washing windows or floors, gardening, raking leaves, stair walking, or pushing a stroller. Here are some further recommendations from the American Heart Association about getting active. 

Limit Alcohol and Smoking 

Consuming alcohol and smoking put a person at much greater risk for high blood pressure and heart disease. The American Heart Association recommends drinking no more than one drink a day for women, and no more than two drinks a day for men. Read more about the connection between alcohol and heart health here, and more about smoking and heart health here. 

Consider Medications

You should never try to diagnosis yourself with high blood pressure, even if your blood pressure reading could be categorized as high. Always talk to your doctor about your concerns and work together to ensure your wellbeing. However, if you are already diagnosed with high blood pressure, you may want to ask your doctor about medications for lowering blood pressure. According to a 2006 study, blood pressure medication can lower the ten-year risk of cardiovascular disease by 20-30%. This means that if you have or suspect you have high blood pressure, it might be time to talk to your doctor about medications.  

Today is a great day to start caring for your heart more closely, and while eating healthier or getting more exercise is not always easy, it is well worth the effort.

— Avery Tamura