Advertisement
How high or low blood pressure increases the risk of dementia, and why it’s never too late, or early, to adopt a healthy lifestyle to manage it
- High blood pressure damages the vessels carrying blood to and around the brain; low blood pressure starves the brain of fresh blood and oxygen
- Studies have linked both conditions to a higher risk of dementia. The good news is that adopting a healthy lifestyle will help regulate your blood pressure
Reading Time:4 minutes
Why you can trust SCMP
This is the fourth instalment in a series on dementia, including the research into its causes and treatment, advice for carers, and stories of hope.
As my doctor approaches me with his blood pressure monitor, I tell him that I suffer with white-coat syndrome – or rather, white-coat hypertension: my anxiety levels and blood pressure rise as soon as I walk into his clinic.
Sure enough, cuff tight about my arm, my heart pounding, the machine beeping, it gives a reading higher than it should be: 140/90, diagnosed as hypertensive Stage 2.
Advertisement
“I promise you, it’s not normally that high!” I bleat.
My doctor is sceptical and insists on a 24-hour continuous reading. I go home strapped to a mini mobile unit to keep an eye on the numbers overnight: systolic and diastolic.
Systolic (the first number) – indicates how much pressure your blood is exerting against your artery walls when your heart beats.
Advertisement
Select Voice
Choose your listening speed
Get through articles 2x faster
1.25x
250 WPM
Slow
Average
Fast
1.25x