What Your Cholesterol and Blood Pressure Levels Mean for Your Overall Health

Cholesterol
The American Heart Association recommends all adults age 20 or older have their cholesterol, and other traditional risk factors, checked every four to six years. This test will show your cholesterol levels in milligrams per deciliter of blood. Your total cholesterol and HDL (good) cholesterol are among numerous factors your doctor can use to predict your lifetime or 10-year risk for a heart attack or stroke.

HDL (Good) Cholesterol
For many years, doctors used ranges to evaluate HDL cholesterol levels. Today, doctors think about risk in broader terms by evaluating HDL cholesterol levels in context with other risk factors. People with high blood triglycerides usually also have lower HDL cholesterol. Genetic factors, type 2 diabetes, smoking, being overweight and being sedentary can all lower HDL cholesterol.

LDL (Bad) Cholesterol
A low LDL cholesterol level is considered good in terms of heart health. Maintaining a diet high in saturated and trans fat is unhealthy because it tends to raise LDL cholesterol. In the past, doctors relied on specific ranges for LDL. Today, doctors consider LDL levels as one of many factors in evaluating cardiovascular risk. Current American Heart Association guidelines recommend talking to your doctor about your LDL cholesterol and other factors that affect your overall cardiovascular risk.

Blood Pressure
When your doctor takes your blood pressure, it’s expressed as a measurement with two numbers — one number on top and one on bottom. For example: 120/80.

The top number refers to the amount of pressure in your arteries during contraction of your heart muscle, called systolic pressure. The bottom number refers to your blood pressure when the heart muscle is between beats, called diastolic pressure. Both numbers are important in determining the state of your heart health. For a normal reading, your blood pressure needs to show a top number (systolic pressure) between 90 and 120 and a bottom number (diastolic pressure) between 60 and 80. The American Heart Association (AHA) considers blood pressure to be within the normal range when both your systolic and diastolic numbers are in these ranges. Numbers greater than this ideal range indicate that the heart is working too hard to pump blood to the rest of the body. 

You should seek emergency treatment if you have blood pressure in the 180/110 range and experience chest pain, shortness of breath, changes in vision, symptoms of stroke, such as paralysis or loss of muscle control in the face or an extremity, blood in the urine, dizziness or headache.

The following measures can help lower or prevent high blood pressure:

• Reduce your sodium intake. Do not consume more than 2,300 mg per day. Adults with hypertension should limit daily sodium intake to 1,500 mg. Don’t add salt to your foods.
• Limit processed foods. Many of these foods are low in nutritional value and high in sodium.
• Reduce your caffeine intake. Talk to your doctor to see if caffeine sensitivity plays a role in your blood pressure readings.
• Exercise more often. Consistency is key in maintaining a healthy blood pressure reading. It’s better to exercise 30 minutes every day rather than a few hours only on the weekends.
• Maintain a healthy weight, or lose weight if necessary. Losing even 10 pounds can reduce your blood pressure readings.
• Manage your stress levels.Moderateexercise, yoga or 10-minute meditation sessions can help.
• Reduce or cut alcohol intake.
• Quit smoking.

Keeping your blood pressure in the normal range is crucial in preventing complications, such as heart disease and stroke. A combination of healthy lifestyle habits and medications can help lower your blood pressure.