Top of the pageLearning Center
High Blood Pressure
Learn about high blood pressure
Blood pressure is a measure of how hard the blood pushes against the walls of your arteries as it moves through your body. Your blood pressure naturally goes up and down throughout the day. But if your blood pressure stays up, you have high blood pressure, or hypertension. When blood pressure is high, it causes damage to your blood vessel walls that gets worse over time. This increases your risk for heart disease, stroke, and kidney problems.
Having high blood pressure is serious, but there is good news. There are many ways to manage blood pressure. Our topics cover lifestyle changes that can lower blood pressure, such as eating better, being active, and losing weight. You will also learn how to check your blood pressure at home and weigh the pros and cons of taking medicine to lower your blood pressure.
Get the information you need in our high blood pressure topics, such as:
- Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers (ARBs)
- Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme (ACE) Inhibitors
- Arturo's Story: Getting Support for Making a Change
- Automated Ambulatory Blood Pressure Monitoring
- Beta-Blockers
- Blood Pressure Numbers: When to Get Help
- Blood Pressure Screening
- Cirrhosis: Beta-Blockers for Portal Hypertension and Varices
- Coronary Artery Disease and Alcohol
- DASH Diet Sample Menu
- Heart-Healthy Eating
- Heart-Healthy Eating: Fish and Fish Oil
- Heart-Healthy Lifestyle
- High Blood Pressure
- High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy
- High Blood Pressure in Children and Teens
- High Blood Pressure: Nutrition Tips
- High Blood Pressure: Over-the-Counter Medicines to Avoid
- Home Blood Pressure Log
- Hypertensive Emergency
- Isolated Systolic High Blood Pressure
- Izzy's Story: Living With the DASH Diet
- Preeclampsia: Checkups and Monitoring
- Pregnancy and Chronic High Blood Pressure
- Pulmonary Hypertension
- Secondary High Blood Pressure
- Sodium Record
- Tyrell's Story: Taking Pills for High Blood Pressure
Current as of: June 24, 2023
Author: Healthwise Staff
Clinical Review Board
All Healthwise education is reviewed by a team that includes physicians, nurses, advanced practitioners, registered dieticians, and other healthcare professionals.
This information does not replace the advice of a doctor. Healthwise, Incorporated, disclaims any warranty or liability for your use of this information. Your use of this information means that you agree to the Terms of Use. Learn how we develop our content.