Google PlayBlood pressure basics
Everything we have written about Blood pressure basics, newest first.
14 articles · All articles
Does cutting salt completely eliminate high blood pressure?
Sodium is one of the most talked-about levers for blood pressure, but 'cut all salt' is not quite the same as 'fix the problem.'
Blood pressure medication and food: general interactions worth knowing
A handful of everyday foods and supplements can interact with common blood pressure medications, and knowing the general categories is worth a conversation with your pharmacist.
Hydration and blood pressure: does water intake actually matter?
Water intake has a real, if modest, relationship with blood pressure, and dehydration can distort a reading in ways worth knowing about.
Can you reverse high blood pressure with diet alone?
Diet can meaningfully improve blood pressure for a lot of people, but 'reverse' and 'cure' are not quite the same thing.
What is orthostatic hypotension, and why it happens
That head rush when you stand up too fast has a name and a mechanism. Here is what's actually going on.
What actually happens during a blood pressure check
A blood pressure check looks simple, but a handful of small details behind it can change the number that shows up on the printout.
When high blood pressure has an underlying cause: secondary hypertension
Most high blood pressure doesn't have a single cause, but sometimes it does. Here is what that smaller category looks like.
The keto diet and blood pressure: the short-term vs. long-term picture
Keto often drops blood pressure fast in week one, mostly from water loss, then the picture gets more complicated.
Understanding blood pressure categories: normal, elevated, and hypertensive crisis
A quick guide to the general categories doctors use to talk about blood pressure readings, and why one number is never the whole story.
What is pulse pressure, and does it matter?
Pulse pressure is the quiet third number hiding in every blood pressure reading. Here is what it is and why it occasionally comes up.
White coat hypertension: why your home readings might differ from the doctor's office
Some people show high blood pressure only at the doctor's office. Here is why that happens and what it does and doesn't mean.
How stress affects blood pressure (and what food can and can't fix)
Stress and blood pressure are clearly linked, but the relationship is more nuanced than 'stress causes hypertension.' Here is what the evidence suggests.
How much weight loss actually improves blood pressure?
Weight loss is one of the most consistently cited ways to lower blood pressure, but the actual numbers behind that advice are rarely spelled out.
Understanding blood pressure readings: what the two numbers mean
A blood pressure reading is really two separate measurements. Here is what each one means and what commonly counts as a normal range.