Millions of lives are claimed every year due to hypertension, commonly known as high blood pressure, which has been dubbed 'the silent killer.' The latest study published in The Lancet revealed that the number of people under 19 with this condition has doubled worldwide since 2000. Furthermore, nearly half of Americans have hypertension — twice the rate from a generation ago.
The reality is that many Americans are unaware they even have high blood pressure, mainly because it does not cause any noticeable symptoms. The only way to confirm if you have this issue is through regular monitoring. Unfortunately, most people with hypertension do not see their doctor regularly. This can lead to heart attacks and other cardiovascular events among young adults.
Fortunately, managing your blood pressure is possible by making some lifestyle adjustments, including reducing sodium intake to 1,500 milligrams per day and exercising for at least 150 minutes a week. You should also try strength training and even breathing routines like yoga to regulate your heart and sleep better. In the long run, doctors recommend the DASH diet as an effective strategy.
There is another option - wearable technology that can monitor blood pressure continuously. For instance, Apple Watch has rolled out hypertension notifications this fall, which will notify users if they have consistently high blood pressure readings. The wearable tech company Oura Labs is working on a similar device. Buying your own blood pressure cuff at home costs as little as $40 and can be an eligible expense for those with FSAs or HSAs.
However, having the capability to monitor your blood pressure continuously would be ideal, but these prototypes are still in development stage and should not be used for diagnosis. In fact, these devices are not yet effective enough to detect hypertension or monitor its control or cardiac events such as a heart attack.
The reality is that many Americans are unaware they even have high blood pressure, mainly because it does not cause any noticeable symptoms. The only way to confirm if you have this issue is through regular monitoring. Unfortunately, most people with hypertension do not see their doctor regularly. This can lead to heart attacks and other cardiovascular events among young adults.
Fortunately, managing your blood pressure is possible by making some lifestyle adjustments, including reducing sodium intake to 1,500 milligrams per day and exercising for at least 150 minutes a week. You should also try strength training and even breathing routines like yoga to regulate your heart and sleep better. In the long run, doctors recommend the DASH diet as an effective strategy.
There is another option - wearable technology that can monitor blood pressure continuously. For instance, Apple Watch has rolled out hypertension notifications this fall, which will notify users if they have consistently high blood pressure readings. The wearable tech company Oura Labs is working on a similar device. Buying your own blood pressure cuff at home costs as little as $40 and can be an eligible expense for those with FSAs or HSAs.
However, having the capability to monitor your blood pressure continuously would be ideal, but these prototypes are still in development stage and should not be used for diagnosis. In fact, these devices are not yet effective enough to detect hypertension or monitor its control or cardiac events such as a heart attack.
so yeah its super important 2 check ur BP regularly, esp if u r under 19 or over 40 
i feel like we r all just winging it most of the time cuz we dont feel any symptoms...like wut even is that? anyway, im loving these new wearable tech options tho 
like oura labs and apple watch, thats so cool! 
we shd totes get on board with dat 
it's literally like wearing a ticking time bomb inside our bodies 
anyway, lifestyle changes can make such a big difference - i'm all about reducing sodium and exercising regularly 
hope more people talk about this stuff so we can get healthier together 
i think it's crazy that high blood pressure is like, super common and no one even knows they have it lol. like, most people don't feel any different until something serious happens, which is just... bad 
. but seriously, making these small changes to our lifestyle can make a big difference in the long run, you know? like, exercising and reducing sodium intake isn't that hard, right?
. and I love that oura labs is working on this - it's like, technology can be an awesome tool to help us stay healthy! 
And now I hear that nearly half of Americans have this condition... that's crazy! 
But yeah, we need to be careful with these new gadgets, 'cause they're not yet effective enough for diagnosis or monitoring... that's just scary thinking about it 
.
That would be so cool! 
it's just so unfair that they might not even know they have an issue because it doesn't show any symptoms... but at the same time, it's amazing to see how many resources are being developed to help people monitor their blood pressure and make lifestyle changes 
they dont even know whats going on with their bodies and it can lead to serious issues like heart attacks 
anyway, the DASH diet is def on point 
but wearable tech is literally gonna save lives one day 
can't wait to try out that Oura Labs thingy too 
. Still, I'm optimistic about the DASH diet and lifestyle changes - if more people take control of their health, we can prevent a lot of unnecessary heart attacks 