Around 103 million Americans — which is less than a third of people in the U.S. population–suffer from high blood pressure as per data from the year 2018 by the American Heart Association (AHA). However, while excessive blood pressure (which doctors call hypertension) can lead to a variety of serious health problems, a lot of Americans aren’t yet at a level that is manageable, according to the CDC–and some may not even be aware of having high blood pressure in the first place.

Blood pressure can be described to be “the force of blood on a vessel wall,” Neha Vyas, MD, a family medicine physician at the Cleveland Clinic informs Health–and getting your blood pressure assessed by a medical professional can be the sole way to know that your pressure may be high. High blood pressure typically doesn’t have any warning indicators or signs, according to the CDC.

The blood pressure reading, taken by a gauge that is attached to an inflatable blood pressure cuff, which is wrapped around your arm and gradually tightens — is given in two different numbers The systolic blood pressure (the pressure in your arteries as the heartbeats) as well as your diastolic pressure (the blood pressure in your blood vessels while your heart at rest). Your doctor will tell you your blood pressure using the following format: systolic pressure over diastolic pressure (for instance, 120 over 80 is considered to be the normal range of blood pressure as per AHA). AHA).

Dr. Vyas says doctors don’t know what exactly causes high blood pressure, however, there are several frequent contributing factors that could make the condition worse. The positive side? A lot of these issues can be prevented.

Smoking Risks

Smoking cigarettes, for instance, can be harmful to high blood pressure (or really other things that affect overall health). “People who smoke tend to have high blood pressure,” says Dr. Vyas. Another factor in lifestyle that can contribute to high blood pressure to elevated stress levels she adds. The American Heart Association points out that while the link between stress levels that are high and elevated blood pressure is currently being researched, stress can lead people to fall into behaviors like drinking too much alcohol and having unhealthy eating habits, which are themselves risk factors. If there’s less stress, you’ll be inclined to make smart choices to maintain your blood pressure at a healthy level.

Blood Pressure and Diet

The choices you make in your diet can impact your blood pressure too such as salt consumption which may cause hypertension in certain people. In fact, Dr. Vyas advises slashing your salt intake when you’re planning to change your diet to bring your blood pressure in check. Making sure to maintain an appropriate diet, engage in enough exercise and avoid drinking too much can help lower blood pressure. These actions can help you control your weight since having an overweight person is an indicator of hypertension, according to Dr. Vyas.

Uncontrollable Factors

There are a few risk factors that cannot be controlled such as aging and genes. If high blood pressure is a common trait in your entire family, it’s vital to ensure you are aware of these lifestyle risk factors as you’re already a risk, even without an addiction to cigarettes. In the end Doctor. Vyas says stress is at times not manageable.

The key message is this? While not all the causes that lead to high blood pressure are within our control, you can numerous ways to lower your risk of developing it, such as not smoking cigarettes and keeping a healthy weight, and drinking moderately. Also, be sure you have your blood pressure regularly checked by your physician to make sure that it is in check.