Many individuals struggle with high blood pressure even after undergoing treatment. This condition, according to experts at Mayo Clinic, is known as Resistant Hypertension, where blood pressure remains above the target level even after trying at least three different types of hypertensive medications.
It’s estimated that nearly one in six adults in the U.S. being treated for high blood pressure faces this resistant form.
Physicians at Cleveland Clinic define high blood pressure — also known as hypertension —as a situation when the force of blood pushing against your artery walls is consistently too high. This, it says damages the arteries over time and can lead to serious complications like heart attack and stroke.
High blood pressure puts you at risk for stroke, heart attack and other HEALTH problems
It added that hypertension has no symptoms and can be dangerous if not treated.
There are however practical steps you can take to bring down your blood pressure, as recommended by experts at Mayo Clinic.
Rule out external factors
The experts recommend that if you are dealing with resistant hypertension, begin by ruling out external factors that can affect your blood pressure readings. These factors may involve:
White-coat hypertension: Some individuals experience higher blood pressure readings at the doctor’s office, which then return to normal when they are back home. About 15% to 30% of people with hypertension have white coat hypertension.
Therefore, monitoring blood pressure at home for a period of time can help evaluate what overall blood pressure is really like.
Health condition: According to the experts, health conditions such as sleep apnea or kidney problems could be making your blood pressure high. In this case, treating the underlying problem helps to improve blood pressure.
Insufficient medication: Research suggests that only about half of people with resistant hypertension receive optimal treatment for high blood pressure. The experts therefore submit that your doctor, hypertension specialist or pharmacist can help assess whether your current high blood pressure medications and doses are appropriate.
Take a close look at lifestyle choices
Often, when your blood pressure is not well controlled and it appears to be resistant to treatment, it might be because you haven’t made the right changes to lower it.
If the medicine you are taking for your blood pressure doesn’t seem to be working, think about the following things:
Medicine check: Have you been taking your medicine exactly as your doctor told you? If not, it might not help your blood pressure like it should.
Salt (sodium) intake: Even if you are not salting to your foods, you may be eating processed foods with too much salt. Try to eat more natural and unprocessed foods.
Alcohol check: Are you drinking too much alcohol? Alcohol can keep your blood pressure high, especially when you drink large quantity in a short time. Your medication might not work well with alcohol, and alcohol may also interfere with the drug.
Quit smoking: Like alcohol, tobacco products can keep blood pressure persistently high if you use them frequently. So, it is important to try to stop smoking.
Weight gain: Have you gained weight? Generally, losing weight can make your blood pressure go down while weight gain as few as 10 pounds (4.5 kilograms) can increase your blood pressure and make it harder to control.
Sleep well: If you haven’t been sleeping well, it might raise your blood pressure. Sleep apnea can raise your blood pressure. So, fixing sleeping problems can help lower your blood pressure.
Other solutions for resistant hypertension
According to experts at Mayo Clinic, there are still things you can try if lifestyle changes doesn’t work to lower your blood pressure.
More medicine: Your doctor might add a new medicine or increase the dose of what you are already taking.
Find the cause: If you and your doctor can figure out why your blood pressure is persistently high, then, you have a better chance of getting it down.
High blood pressure according to Cleveland Clinic puts you at risk for stroke, heart attack and other problems.
Nearly half of adults who have hypertension don’t realize it, as such, check-ups are crucial. Dietary changes, exercise and medicine can also help keep your blood pressure where it should be.
Working closely with your doctor and making healthy changes can really make a difference.
