How To Manage Your Blood Pressure

It’s 8 AM on a Monday, you’re 2 espressos in, just fought traffic on the 101 and I’m here to check your blood pressure as soon as you sit down! 😆⁣

In-office blood pressure measurement can vary A LOT based on the circumstances, and many patients simply hate the feeling of the cuff. ⁣When patients have borderline BP, I like to send them home with a blood pressure journal, and education on how to get a PROPER blood pressure reading.

Source: Cardi-OH

Source: Healthline

In 2 weeks, we do a virtual visit to review and discuss the next steps. This approach allows patients to be more in control of their health and to see how lifestyle impacts the numbers. Patients often report that their BP was better after getting sleep, on the weekends when they’re not at work, when they did a 20-minute yoga session first, etc. ⁣

120/80 is no longer the target blood pressure. Per AHA/ACC, normal BP is LESS than 120 systolic and 80 diastolic. This means A LOT more people fall into the hypertensive category and A LOT more opportunities to intervene and improve morbidity/mortality. ⁣