{"id":2076,"date":"2022-02-04T19:30:03","date_gmt":"2022-02-04T14:00:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.fitterfly.com\/blog\/?p=2076"},"modified":"2024-06-03T16:13:53","modified_gmt":"2024-06-03T10:43:53","slug":"hypertension-and-diabetes","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fitterfly.com\/blog\/hypertension-and-diabetes\/","title":{"rendered":"What Is the Connection Between Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) and Type 2 Diabetes?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">According to the American Diabetes Association, 2 in 3 people who have been diagnosed with diabetes also have high blood pressure, or hypertension, or have to take medication to lower their blood pressure.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Diabetes can often damage the arteries, causing them to harden. As a result, the blood has to force itself higher against the arterial walls while it is getting pumped blood into the arteries, leading to higher blood pressure.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hypertension, or high blood pressure, requires the right care and treatment to ensure the levels are under control. If left untreated, it puts extra pressure on your heart, which can eventually increase the risk of stroke, heart-related diseases, as well as other health complications.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>In this article you read about:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong><a href=\"#one\">What is hypertension?<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"#two\">Reading your blood pressure levels<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><strong><a href=\"#three\">Hypertension screen three\u00a0and diagnosis with diabetes<\/a><\/strong><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#four\"><b>Ideal blood pressure with diabetes<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#five\"><b>Hypertension symptoms<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#six\"><b>How to regulate hypertension<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"#seven\"><b>Deciding on a treatment plan<\/b><\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"one\"> What is Hypertension? <\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Blood pressure is the pressure at which the blood in your body forces itself against the walls of the artery. With every beat, the heart pumps blood into the arteries. As the heart contracts and pumps blood, it reaches the highest amount of pressure.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Very high blood pressure, or hypertension, can increase the risk of:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Various coronary heart diseases\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Heart attack<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Stroke<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span id=\"two\">Reading your blood pressure levels <\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Here is a look at the healthy as well as warning levels of blood pressure:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Below 120\/80 \u2013 healthy\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Between 120\/80 and 140\/90 \u2013 early stages of high blood pressure<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">140\/90 or higher \u2013 high blood pressure alert<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span id=\"three\"> Hypertension screen three\u00a0and diagnosis with diabetes <\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you already have diabetes, your doctor may suggest the following to keep an eye on your blood pressure levels:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Measure your blood pressure at every routine medical visit.<\/span><b>\u00a0<\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the blood pressure readings are found to be high, multiple readings may be taken on different days to get an accurate idea and reading.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you have been diagnosed with both diabetes and hypertension, it is important that you take your blood pressure reading regularly at home.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If the initial blood pressure reading comes high, your doctor may want to check the same in both arms.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">In some cases, if you already have high blood pressure, your doctor may want to repeat the reading again under medical supervision, within a month.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"four\">Ideal blood pressure with diabetes <\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The blood pressure readings may vary from person to person. However, for those who also have diabetes, the blood pressure reading should not be more than 130\/80.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><\/h2>\n<h2><span id=\"five\">Hypertension symptoms <\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Usually, hypertension does not have too many warning signs and symbols. However, in case the blood pressure is at an extremely high level, here are a few signs you may notice. If you do experience any of these, make sure to inform your healthcare provider immediately:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Nose bleeds\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Irregular heartbeats\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Difficulty in breathing\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Blood spotting in urine\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Occasional pain in the chest\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Problems in vision\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Confusion\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Fatigue without any obvious reason\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Sudden and severe headaches\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Feeling dizzy\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Many of the signs and symptoms of high blood pressure often resemble signs of other medical conditions. It is important that you do not ignore these, but inform your doctor at the earliest.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"six\">How to regulate hypertension <\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You already have a set of guidelines that you may have been asked to follow by your healthcare team in order to take care of your diabetes. Here are some very similar things that you can do, that may help you in managing your hypertension better:<\/span><\/p>\n<h3><b>1. Follow a healthy diet<\/b>:<\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You may speak to your dietician or doctor to find out a diet plan that can help in your overall health.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Ask your doctor for a diet that can specifically help in managing your blood pressure.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Eating fresh foods and vegetables, having foods that are rich in fibre, especially whole grains, can be a great addition to a diet that can help manage hypertension.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reduce the amount of unhealthy fats, especially trans-fat and animal fat.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>2. Reduce smoking and alcohol consumption:\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cut down or reduce your alcohol intake or smoking.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you are a passive smoker, reduce your risk by staying away from smokers.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>3. Reduce salt intake:<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cut down the amount of salt you eat on a daily basis.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Initially, this may seem like a very challenging experience, especially if you are used to a certain palate.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Start by reducing a very tiny bit of salt in your regular meals.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can also reduce the amount of salty snacks, especially the packaged ones that you eat. Packaged snacks almost always have a very high amount of sodium, which can have alarming effects on your blood pressure levels.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>4. Managing your weight:<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Watch your weight and ensure you manage it well.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You may speak to your doctor about your healthy weight range or BMI.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reducing even up to 3 to 5 percent of your total body weight, if you are overweight, may significantly bring down your risk.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>5. Regular exercise plan:<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Follow an exercise plan, and ensure you do at least 30 minutes of exercise every day, after speaking to your healthcare team.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Having some regular physical activity every day can be a great way to keep your hypertension as well as your diabetes in check.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you can, aim for about 45 minutes of exercise every day.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Switch between moderate and high intensity exercises, only after speaking to your doctor.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you find these too strenuous, find out simpler exercises and gradually shift to ones that are of a higher intensity.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>6. Managing your stress levels:<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Practice methods to reduce your stress levels.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Daily meditation, or taking part in some outdoor activities or doing things that make you feel happy may help reduce stress.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h3><b>7. Keep in touch with your healthcare team:<\/b><\/h3>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Follow all your doctor appointments and update your doctor about any changes in health.\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Regularly monitor your blood pressure levels and keep a journal.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span id=\"seven\">Deciding a treatment plan <\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your healthcare team will chalk out a plan to treat and manage your hypertension, based on the following:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your age, your overall health and other medical conditions that you may be suffering from<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Your current diabetes scenario<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The extent of your hypertension<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">How your body reacts to the different medicines, therapies or procedures<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Hypertension and diabetes can often go hand in hand. As long as you are taking the right precautions, following your doctor\u2019s advice and keeping track of your readings, you can manage your blood pressure levels and be on the path to better health.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><b>FitterTake<\/b><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A healthcare program which incorporates the right mix of technology and expert personalized coaching for lifestyle changes can make a real difference. This will lead to holistic management and significantly reduce the risk of complications. Approximately, <\/span><b>1 in 5 members of the Fitterfly <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fitterfly.com\/fitterfly-diabetes-care-plan?utm_source=Organic&amp;utm_medium=blog&amp;utm_campaign=diabetes\">Diabetes Management program <\/a><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">had hypertension as a comorbidity. A 360\u00b0 approach with the right nutrition advice, fitness coaching, sleep management and support on reduction of stress, helped these members reduce their blood sugar as well as their blood pressure effectively. <\/span><b>Talk to us<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> now.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Reference:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[1] <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.diabetes.org\/diabetes\/high-blood-pressure\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.diabetes.org\/diabetes\/high-blood-pressure<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[2] <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/diabetesjournals.org\/care\/article\/40\/9\/1273\/36772\/Diabetes-and-Hypertension-A-Position-Statement-by\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/diabetesjournals.org\/care\/article\/40\/9\/1273\/36772\/Diabetes-and-Hypertension-A-Position-Statement-by<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[3] <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.webmd.com\/diabetes\/high-blood-pressure\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.webmd.com\/diabetes\/high-blood-pressure<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">[4] <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hopkinsmedicine.org\/health\/conditions-and-diseases\/diabetes\/diabetes-and-high-blood-pressure\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">https:\/\/www.hopkinsmedicine.org\/health\/conditions-and-diseases\/diabetes\/diabetes-and-high-blood-pressure<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>According to the American Diabetes Association, 2 in 3 people who have been diagnosed with diabetes also have high blood pressure, or hypertension, or have to take medication to lower [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":7,"featured_media":2078,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"inline_featured_image":false,"wds_primary_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[427,451,428],"acf":{"reviewed_by":false,"references":null,"author":"","table_content":null,"medically_reviewed":9607,"show_updated_date_in_post":"No","faq_list":null,"custom_schema":"","media_url":"","reviewer":null},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fitterfly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2076"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fitterfly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fitterfly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fitterfly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/7"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fitterfly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2076"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.fitterfly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2076\/revisions"}],"acf:post":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fitterfly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/reviewers\/9607"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fitterfly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2078"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fitterfly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2076"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fitterfly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2076"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fitterfly.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2076"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}