High blood pressure (HBP) can come from lack of sleep or sleeping too much, eating too much or not eating enough healthful foods, and from being sedentary. But whatever the cause, the consequences are increased cardiovascular woes. And that’s true for anyone of any age.
These days, nearly 14% of kids ages 8-18 have elevated or high blood pressure. And 25% of young adults ages 18-39 contend with an unhealthy reading of over 130 systolic (top number), 80 diastolic (lower number), or 130/80 overall.
Younger kids with unhealthy blood pressure are often obese and at increased risk for premature heart disease, vascular stiff-ening and thickening of the heart muscle. Those ages 18-39 with uncontrolled HBP face a serious risk of a stroke or heart attack before they’re 65.
You’ll reduce your child’s risks from HBP by ensuring they get 60-plus minutes of exercise daily, nixing highly processed foods and sugar-added beverages and sticking to a sleep schedule of 10 hours nightly for younger kids and seven to nine hours for older teens.
Young adults ages 18-39? You need to maintain a healthy weight, eat a plantbased, minimally processed diet, get 300 minutes of exercise weekly, and practice stress management with meditation and a healthy sleep schedule. And check out “5 Supplements to Support Heart Health and Blood Pressure” at iHerb.com/blog.
Bottom line: Have your children’s blood pressure checked, especially if they’re overweight, and check yours at least twice a year. Knowing those numbers and taking steps to make sure they’re where they should be will extend your kid’s — and your — happy, healthy lifespan!
