The circulatory system affects various parts of your body, including the brain. Learn about the connection between your brain health and blood pressure.
High blood pressure (hypertension) is a leading factor in heart disease, contributing to one out of six deaths in Americans. As a multisystem disease, its damage impacts not just the heart but also the eyes, kidneys, and especially the brain.
Hypertension can lead to a stroke, of which there are two major types: ischemic and hemorrhagic. Most strokes are ischemic, which happens when an artery that supplies blood to the brain gets a clot.
However, there are other types of stroke like an embolic or thrombotic stroke, as well as subarachnoid and intracerebral hemorrhages. Each of these is caused by different factors, but they’re generally a result of damage to the circulatory system.
High Blood Pressure Risks
Hypertension is the leading cause of strokes, whether they’re symptomatic or silent; higher blood pressure means a higher risk. However, if you effectively reduce your blood pressure, you can cut your risk of stroke by 44%.
Conversely, if you don’t manage your blood pressure, it can increase your risk of stroke as well as your cognition. For example, when small blood vessels in the brain and oxygen are blocked, it can lead to multi-infarct dementia.
As a result, you can experience disorientation, difficulty thinking and understanding, or an inability to create new memories. However, if you say healthy, you can continue to function at high levels even as you grow older.
It’s important to note that high blood pressure can increase the risk of mild cognitive impairment, vascular dementia, and more. Moreover, the longer high blood pressure goes untreated, the higher the risk of experiencing these diseases.
While we know that controlling your blood pressure can reduce the risk of cognitive dysfunction, it may also help others. For example, one Italian study suggests that antihypertensive medications may help decrease the progress of mild cognitive dysfunction by 80%.
Controlling Blood Pressure
The best time to start taking care of your blood pressure is now: know your numbers and make lifestyle changes. For example, you can reduce the sodium in your diet and follow an eating plan like the DASH diet.
You should also make a goal of exercising regularly and losing weight if you are overweight or obese. In addition, you should moderate your alcohol use, avoid long-term use of NSAIDs (ibuprofen, naproxen, etc.), and manage your stress.
Finally, you can use medications if necessary and add daily supplements like L-arginine Plus to your routine. Its ingredients promote the production of nitric oxide, a natural compound that improves blood flow and lowers blood pressure. Try L-arginine Plus along with other methods if you want to control your blood pressure and support your brain health.