High Blood Pressure Runs in My Family. That’s Why I Watch My Sodium and Practice Yoga.

GoodRx Health

My Journey is a series of personal essays about what it's like to cope with a medical condition.

Ten years ago, I was shocked when a home blood pressure monitor showed my blood pressure was well above the "normal" adult range of 120/80 or lower. Before that reading, I had no idea that I had hypertension, also known as high blood pressure.

Unlike many other health conditions, high blood pressure often doesn't cause any symptoms. That's why hypertension is commonly referred to as a "silent killer." Untreated, my blood pressure could rise to dangerous levels, putting me at risk for a stroke or heart attack.

So I'm determined to manage my high blood pressure with medications and a healthy lifestyle.

High blood pressure runs in the family

There was a time when my blood pressure levels never entered my mind except during visits to the doctor. My blood pressure levels had always been low, typically no higher than 110/70.

Then, I checked my blood pressure one night on a home blood pressure monitor at my mom's house, and the reading was 160/95. I put on the monitor sleeve that night as a show of solidarity to encourage my mom, who was in her 70s, to monitor her own blood pressure regularly. Turns out her blood pressure was normal. Mine, on the other hand, was high.

In retrospect, I should have been monitoring my blood pressure all along. Hypertension, which can be genetic, runs on both sides of my parents' families. Until that night, I'd always been proud of my normal blood pressure readings during visits to the doctor. But, at that point, I started getting nervous.

I was also surprised because I worked out at the gym and walked regularly, and I had no other health conditions. I made an appointment with a doctor the following week. He diagnosed me with hypertension and prescribed two blood pressure medications: lisinopril / hydrochlorothiazide and amlodipine. Within a week, my blood pressure readings were back within a normal range.

Still, my body was changing as I entered my 50s, and hypertension was now my biggest health concern. I knew I needed to make some changes to my lifestyle to keep my blood pressure under control. But first I had to figure out what I was doing to raise my blood pressure levels.

Salty foods were my nemesis

I started researching the condition online and found that, aside from the genetic factor, some of my lifestyle habits had likely contributed to my elevated blood pressure. For example, even though my diet included lots of fruits and vegetables, it also included foods that could contribute to hypertension. I love salty foods like potato chips and french fries, and I used to add salt to most of the foods I prepared at home.

High sodium intake is linked to high blood pressure levels. The American Heart Association recommends a daily sodium intake of no more than 1,500 mg a day for people with high blood pressure. But I was consuming much more.

I went through the foods in my pantry and freezer. One can of chicken noodle soup contained nearly 900 mg of sodium in a 4 oz serving. A can of pinto beans packed a whopping 440 mg of sodium in a 4 oz serving. Six frozen meatballs contained 530 mg of sodium. And that was only what I was eating at home.

At my favorite burger place, a regular order of fries contained close to 1,000 mg of sodium. Add a hamburger with bacon and a bun (at least 600 mg of sodium) to the mix, and it quickly added up to be more than the recommended daily limit. I realized it was time to reevaluate my sodium habit.

I started checking nutrition labels on all the foods I purchased for sodium content, paying special attention to frozen foods and soups. I began cooking more meals at home, since restaurant food typically contains a lot of fat, sodium, and sugar. I rarely ordered a burger and fries, and I curbed my potato chip habit.

I also had the bad habit of smoking three or four cigarettes while winding down on my porch at night. I knew the health risks of smoking but hadn't yet kicked it. So I cut back to two cigarettes a night with the goal of eventually quitting.

As long as I took my blood pressure medications, my readings generally stayed within a normal range. But when I ran out of both medications for a few days once, my blood pressure shot up to about 140/90 or higher. During a visit with my primary care physician, I asked if I could ever get off the medications and manage my blood pressure with exercise and diet alone.

"Why would you want to do that?" he asked. "That's a good way to have a stroke."

A work in progress

This morning, my blood pressure was 121/85, with both the diastolic (top) and systolic (bottom) numbers nudging slightly out of the normal range and into the range for hypertension. But later in the day, I had a normal reading of 108/70 on my home blood pressure monitor.

Lately, my blood pressure levels usually stay within the normal range. I attribute the lower levels to doing various types of workouts at the gym 4 or 5 days a week and limiting my sodium intake. I also started practicing yoga again after a knee injury healed. The mindfulness and breathwork of yoga keep me in more of a relaxed, grounded state so I don't get stressed, which can also raise blood pressure.

I joined an online smoking cessation group, which offers support and motivation to quit smoking. And I still prepare most of my meals at home so I can have control over sodium content.

Taking my medications and monitoring my blood pressure is now part of my daily routine. I want to be healthy and enjoy life, and that includes making sure I have the heart to take on whatever comes next.

Public link

Please use the above public link if you want to share this noodl on another website.