We often get the question, "Do I need to be tracking my blood pressure even though I am young?" Short answer: Yes, of course! High blood pressure (Hypertension) doesn’t discriminate by age. In fact, almost half of adults over the age of 20 have elevated or high blood pressure. According to the CDC, about 1 in 4 men and nearly 1 in 5 women age 35 - 44 have high blood pressure.
But why should you care about high blood pressure while you’re young?
Taking care of your blood pressure now can help you:
- Have ageless skin: there is a direct link between lower/higher blood pressure and the speed at which skin ages. Specifically saggy or baggy face skin is the feature most impacted by higher blood pressure. Also, studies have shown links between deep forehead wrinkles and the development of heart disease. Time to include your bp check in your skin regimen!
- Keep your luscious locks: losing your hair could be the first visible sign of heart disease and linked to high blood pressure.
- Stay sharp as a thumbtack: high blood pressure can have a long-term negative effect on mental function. It can reduce attention, learning, memory and decision-making skills.
- Avoid loss of hearing: high blood pressure has been shown to accelerate age-related hearing loss by restricting blood flow to the inner ear and to the regions of the brain involved with hearing. Don’t play your bp checks by ear!
So what should you do?
Here’s the good news! There are simple steps you can take to control your blood pressure:
- Know your numbers: Measuring your blood pressure is an important step toward keeping a healthy blood pressure. Tracking your blood pressure at home on a regular basis and understanding what your low and high readings mean can help lower your overall blood pressure.
- Talk to your doctor as recommended: Your physician can help prescribe and adjust your medication based on your blood pressure report and help with your overall health.
- Small steps turn into lasting changes:
- Create reminders in the Hello Heart app to check your BP and to take blood pressure medication on time!
- Add simple healthy swaps to your everyday meals - i.e. switch from baked goods to dark chocolate!
- Learn relaxation methods to address stress!
- Just add 5 minutes of physical activity to your day - i.e. bust out a few dance moves to your favorite song while your coffee or tea are brewing in the morning!
Find more insights on small steps we can take to lower blood pressure here in the Hello Heart app.
3. https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/322887
4. https://www.nytimes.com/2009/12/08/health/research/08real.html
5. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/articles/200306/blood-pressure-and-the-brain
6. https://iowahearing.com/blog/high-blood-pressure-and-hearing-loss/
1. Gazit T, Gutman M, Beatty AL. Assessment of Hypertension Control Among Adults Participating in a Mobile Technology Blood Pressure Self-management Program. JAMA Netw Open. 2021;4(10):e2127008, https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2021.27008. Accessed October 19, 2022. (Some study authors are employed by Hello Heart. Because of the observational nature of the study, causal conclusions cannot be made. See additional important study limitations in the publication. This study showed that 108 participants with baseline blood pressure over 140/90 who had been enrolled in the program for 3 years and had application activity during weeks 148-163 were able to reduce their blood pressure by 21 mmHg using the Hello Heart program.) (2) Livongo Health, Inc. Form S-1 Registration Statement. https:/www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1639225/000119312519185159/d731249ds1.htm. Published June 28, 2019. Accessed October 19, 2022. (In a pilot study that lasted six weeks, individuals starting with a blood pressure of greater than 140/90 mmHg, on average, had a 10 mmHG reduction.) NOTE: This comparison is not based on a head-to-head study, and the difference in results may be due in part to different study protocols.
2. Validation Institute. 2021 Validation Report (Valid Through October 2022). https://validationinstitute.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/Hello_Heart-Savings-2021- Final.pdf. Published October 2021. Accessed October 19, 2022. (This analysis was commissioned by Hello Heart, which provided a summary report of self-fundedemployer client medical claims data for 203 Hello Heart users and 200 non-users from 2017-2020. Findings have not been subjected to peer review.)
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