Hypertension: Beacon clinician offers ways to manage high blood pressure during the winter

Did you know that a person’s blood pressure tends to be higher in the wintertime than during the warmer summer months?

More pressure is needed to move blood through your veins and arteries because they become narrow when the temperature falls. This relationship between cold weather and blood pressure means it can be more challenging to manage hypertension during the winter.

In addition, the colder months make it more difficult for many of us to keep up with a healthy exercise routine. Combined with multiple holidays full of salty foods (and an increased alcohol intake), your blood pressure may be higher than usual over the next few months.

Having your blood pressure taken is one of the first things to happen at many medical appointments, so you’re probably familiar with the basics:

• Hypertension means your blood is flowing at a higher pressure than normal, pressing against the sides of your blood vessels.
• A normal blood pressure for an adult is defined as less than 120/80 mm Hg.
• If your blood pressure is consistently 130/80 mm Hg or higher, you have hypertension.
• Hypertension increases your risk for heart attack and stroke.

Dr. Deborah Pavey, Beacon Medical Group La Porte

But there’s a lot more to hypertension. Dr. Deborah Pavey, family medicine physician at Beacon Medical Group La Porte, shares three things you might not know about high blood pressure:

1. Hypertension hurts your kidneys.

One of the effects of high blood pressure is to make blood vessels narrower, which reduces how much blood can flow through them. That’s a big problem for your kidneys, which take waste and extra water out of your blood and send them to your bladder to be removed from the body.

The kidneys filter a cup of blood every two minutes, so waste and fluid can build up quickly when that filtration system doesn’t work properly. And with extra fluid in the blood, your blood pressure can increase even more, creating a vicious cycle that can lead to kidney failure.

“Your provider may test your urine to evaluate your kidney function and its ability to filter waste,” Dr. Pavey said. “If you are due for lab work this winter, make sure to bring a bottle of water to prepare!”

She explains that any blood pressure medications not only lower your blood pressure but also protect your kidneys from future damage from your elevated pressures.

“However, some of the side effects of these medications include an elevation of an electrolyte called potassium,” Dr. Pavey added. “Talk to your doctor about your blood pressure medications, and if you need to have your potassium levels monitored.”

2. Hypertension raises your risk of developing dementia.

Vascular dementia is one of four main types of dementia. Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy body dementia and frontotemporal dementia are all associated with abnormal deposits or proteins in the brain. Vascular dementia comes from interruptions of the blood flow through the brain.

Anything that interferes with blood flow in the brain raises the risk of developing vascular dementia. This can include a stroke or chronic high blood pressure, which causes the blood vessels in the brain to become narrower over time (similar to the effect high blood pressure has on your kidneys).

Symptoms of vascular dementia most often include memory issues and difficulty learning new things, following instructions or making choices.

“If you or a loved one have concerns about your memory, talk to your doctor about a medical work-up for vascular dementia,” Dr. Pavey said.

3. It’s a good idea to monitor your blood pressure at home.

You may have heard of “white coat hypertension.” That’s when being in the doctor’s office actually increases your blood pressure. White coat hypertension is based in anxiety, although not everyone consciously feels anxious.

You know you have white coat hypertension if your blood pressure is normal at home but high in a provider’s office. You could also have a combination of conditions, with high blood pressure that gets even higher when you’re in a provider’s office.

It’s also possible, although not common, for blood pressure to be lower in a medical setting than at home.

It’s helpful to take your blood pressure at home so that your provider has more information at hand when recommending treatment options. The American Heart Association recommends taking your blood pressure at home daily during the week before an appointment, or for two weeks after you’ve started or changed a treatment for hypertension. It’s best to take it at the same time every day, keeping your arm elevated to the level of your heart. Your provider can provide additional instructions if you have further questions.

When you buy a new blood pressure cuff, Dr. Pavey recommends bringing it to your provider’s office to ensure the readings from your home machine match the readings at your provider’s office.

“That way we can ensure the measurements you obtain are accurate and can help your health care team better manage your blood pressure.”

She also recommends taking advantage of technology: “Often I will have patients send me a list of their home blood pressure measurements through the MyBeacon patient portal to help manage their pressures between appointments.”

Managing hypertension

Hypertension can be managed and improved a number of ways – with or without medication – so don’t panic if your numbers are high. But do pay attention, because there are typically no symptoms of hypertension to tell you if something is wrong.

Your provider can help you get those numbers back down and avoid the health risks that go with high blood pressure.

So this winter, try adding a few of the following recommendations from Dr. Pavey to help manage your blood pressure:

1. Utilize no-salt flavorings like Mrs. Dash for your holiday meals. Alternatively, you can use No Salt products with potassium instead of sodium, but ask your doctor first before purchasing to ensure extra potassium would be safe for you.
2. Start with 10 minutes of moderate exercise three times a week. As you are able to incorporate this into your schedule, increase your exercise time by five minutes every two weeks with a goal of 30 minutes of exercise five times a week. See if your local gyms or malls have an indoor walking track or look on Youtube for short low-impact exercises to try for free. Always check with your doctor before starting a new exercise regimen.
3. Check out the American Heart Association’s holiday meal ideas for recipes that can help lower your blood pressure. Read up on their Food as Medicine initiative as well if you have time.

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