Hypertension And Senior Living (Nevada Senior Guide)

Introduction

As I advance into my senior years, I have become more conscious of my health. I have always been in good health all my life. But in the past few years I have noticed small changes in my health, nothing drastic, but enough for me to sit up and pay attention to.

For example, I have been diagnosed with an enlarged prostate, for which I take an herbal supplement. But what really got my attention was my high blood pressure (hypertension). I had always had a healthy blood pressure since I ate properly and exercised. So I did some research on hypertension in the elderly, to see if it was unusual and what I should do about it.

High Blood Pressure In Your Senior Years

According to John Hopkins Medical School, it is not unusual for senior citizens to develop high blood pressure. In fact it is quite common for elderly people over 80, to develop stage 2 hypertension. Stage 2 hypertension is when your systolic blood pressure is greater than 160 mm Hg. For normal pressure it should be less than 120 mm Hg.

There is treatment for hypertension, but doctors are concerned that the cure may cause more problems than the actual condition of hypertension. For example, an elderly person may have additional problems besides just stage 2 hypertension. For example, they may have diabetes, heart disease and/or kidney disease, for which they are taking medications.

Treating hypertension with these conditions may cause more complications than desired. So your doctor may elect not to prescribe any medications to control your hypertension.

Controlling Hypertension In Your Senior Years

But you can take steps now to control your hypertension even after you enter your senior years. For example, take a look at your life style. Changes in some of your habits can reduce your blood pressure. The changes I made have lowered my blood pressure down below 125 mm Hg.

Here are some of the changes I made:

• Reduced my sodium intake.
• I kept on exercising and watching my weight
• I started eating the Dietary Approaches Stop Hypertension (DASH). This diet reduces your salt intake and requires you to eat more grains, fish, poultry, fruits and vegetables.
• I also started to take Omega-3 fish oil supplements that has been found to reduce your blood pressure and they also have many other health benefits.

Conclusion

Senior people are highly likely to develop hypertension. In some cases the doctor may not be able to prescribe medications if other medications are prescribed to control other health problems.

In order to keep your blood pressure under control you should look at your life style and make the appropriate changes.

Walter Chase made a life style change when he was 35. When that happened he started taking supplements, exercising, which included weight lifting and running. Walter started taking Omega – 3 supplements five years ago and has seen many positive benefit. Receive a free e-book all about the benefits of Omega-3, at his web site http://www.goodfattyacids.com/.