Learn steps you can take to lower your risk for health problems from high blood pressure (also called hypertension), such as heart disease and stroke.
Measure Your Blood Pressure on a Regular Basis
Measuring your blood pressure is an important step toward keeping a healthy blood pressure. Because high blood pressure and elevated high blood pressure often have no symptoms, checking your blood pressure is the only way to know for sure whether it is too high.
If you learn that you have high blood pressure, you should take steps to control your blood pressure to lower your risk for heart disease and stroke.
Manage Diabetes
Most people with diabetes—about 6 out of 10—also have high blood pressure.1 If your health care professional thinks you have symptoms of diabetes, he or she may recommend that you get tested.
If you have diabetes, monitor your blood glucose (also called blood sugar) levels carefully and talk with your health care team about treatment options. Your doctor or health care professional may recommend certain lifestyle changes to help keep your blood glucose levels under good control. Those actions will also help reduce your risk for high blood pressure.
Take Your Medicine
If you take medicine to treat high blood pressure or other health conditions, follow your doctor’s or health care professional’s instructions carefully. Always ask questions if you do not understand something, and never stop taking your medicine without talking to your doctor or pharmacist first. Stopping your blood pressure medicine without first talking to your health care team could lead to serious health consequences. Learn more about blood pressure medicines.
Make Lifestyle Changes
If you have high blood pressure, you can help lower it by being physically active, eating a healthy diet, and making other lifestyle changes. Learn more about ways to prevent and manage high blood pressure.
Talk with Your Total Health Care Team
You and your Total Health Care team can work together to prevent or treat the medical conditions that lead to high blood pressure. Discuss your treatment plan regularly and bring a list of questions to your appointments.
