Key TakeawaysBlood pressure and cholesterol are important metrics for cardiovascular health, but most people don’t know their levels.If you’re in good health, you really only need to learn your levels annually.

Key Takeaways

Blood pressure and cholesterol are important metrics for cardiovascular health, but most people don’t know their levels.If you’re in good health, you really only need to learn your levels annually.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in America, but a new survey finds most people don’t know important information about their personal risk of developing the condition.

That information comes courtesy of The Ohio State University, where researchers asked more than 1,000 adults across the country if they knew their own heart health metrics like blood pressure, ideal weight (BMI), cholesterol, or blood sugar levels.

The researchers found that 44% of respondents knew their BMI, while just 15% knew their blood sugar level. Less than half of those surveyed knew their blood pressure, and fewer than one in five knew their cholesterol levels.

By comparison, nearly 70% knew their childhood address, and 58% knew their best friend’s birthday.

Being able to easily recall your own health information starts with learning how to identify it in the first place. That’s an essential part of heart disease prevention.

“Most people don’t have symptoms of high blood pressure, and high cholesterol almost never shows outward symptoms,”Jill Tirabassi, MD, clinical assistant professor of family medicine in the Jacobs School of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at the University at Buffalo, told Verywell.

What Is Blood Pressure and What Do the Numbers Mean?

Blood pressure refers to the force of circulating blood against the walls of arteries, which carry blood from the heart to other body parts.

A blood pressure reading consists of two numbers: yoursystolicblood pressure (the top number) and yourdiastolicblood pressure (the bottom number).

Systolic blood pressure is the force against your arteries when your heart beats, pushing blood out to your organs and tissues. Ideal systolic blood pressure should be less than 120.

Diastolic blood pressure is the remaining tension in your arteries while your heart is at rest between beats. Ideally, it should be less than 80.

Patients are usually diagnosed with high blood pressure if their reading is at least 140/90 millimeters of mercury (mmHg), although some will diagnosed hypertension with a reading of 130/80 mmHg.

“High blood pressure puts you at risk for heart disease, kidney disease, and stroke; you’re at risk of hurting your organs,” Tirabassi said.

Nearly half of American adults have hypertension. There are a slew of risk factors that increase the chances of high blood pressure, including not getting enough regular physical activity or having health conditions like diabetes and obesity.

What Is Cholesterol and What Is a Normal Level?

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Healthy total cholesterol levels for adults are typically 125 to 200 milligrams per deciliter (mg/dL).

When cholesterol is too high, plaques can form in your blood vessels, causing them to thicken and harden. This can eventually leading to a condition called atherosclerosis, Tirabassi said.

What to Do If Your Blood Pressure and Cholesterol Levels Are High

Blood pressure and cholesterol are two different measurements of health, but doctors often recommend similar first-line treatments for both,Jennifer Wong, MD, a board-certified cardiologist and medical director of non-invasive cardiology at MemorialCare Heart and Vascular Institute at Orange Coast Medical Center in Fountain Valley, California, told Verywell.

“Adhering to a heart-healthy diet and doing regular exercise can lower blood pressure and cholesterol and reduce cardiovascular risk,” she said.

For high cholesterol,M. Wesley Milks, MD, an assistant professor of internal medicine at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center, often recommends getting regular physical activity as well as following a diet that’s lower in saturated fat and processed foods. He places a big emphasis on vegetables, plant oils, and fiber content.

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If you have high blood pressure, exercising regularly, eating a healthy diet, and reducing your sodium intake may help, Tirabassi added.

But sometimes medications can help, too, especially if your blood pressure or cholesterol numbers are particularly high.

“Ultimately, it depends on where the numbers are,” Wong said. Doctors may recommend using medications like diuretics, calcium channel blockers, or ACE inhibitors if your systolic blood pressure is above 130–139 mmHg and your diastolic blood pressure is above 80–89 mmHg, and things like weight loss, changing your diet and increasing your physical activity doesn’t help lower them, she said.

For high cholesterol,statinsare generally the first line of defense when medication is needed.

How to Get Your Blood Pressure and Cholesterol Checked

Blood pressure readings can be done at a doctor’s office, as well as withhome monitoring machinesthat use a cuff and gauge.

There are a few things to keep in mind when taking your blood pressure at home for a more accurate reading. For starters, you’ll want to remain seated in a supportive chair for at least five minutes, keeping both feet flat on the ground with your legs uncrossed. Don’t fasten the cuff over your clothing. It’s also important not to eat or drink anything for 30 minutes before taking your blood pressure and to take your blood pressure at the same time each day.

If you don’t have an underlying health condition, Milks recommends having your cholesterol and blood pressure checked annually.

What This Means For YouKnowing your blood pressure and cholesterol can give you a good idea of your overall heart health, as well as help you find a way to get your numbers within a normal range. If it’s been a while, talk to a healthcare provider about getting your blood pressure and cholesterol checked.

What This Means For You

Knowing your blood pressure and cholesterol can give you a good idea of your overall heart health, as well as help you find a way to get your numbers within a normal range. If it’s been a while, talk to a healthcare provider about getting your blood pressure and cholesterol checked.

7 SourcesVerywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.Survey finds most don’t know the numbers that help predict heart disease.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.High blood pressure symptoms and causes.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Facts about hypertension.National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Cholesterol levels: what you need to know.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.High cholesterol facts.American Heart Association.Causes of high cholesterol.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Measure your blood pressure.

7 Sources

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.Survey finds most don’t know the numbers that help predict heart disease.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.High blood pressure symptoms and causes.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Facts about hypertension.National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Cholesterol levels: what you need to know.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.High cholesterol facts.American Heart Association.Causes of high cholesterol.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Measure your blood pressure.

Verywell Health uses only high-quality sources, including peer-reviewed studies, to support the facts within our articles. Read oureditorial processto learn more about how we fact-check and keep our content accurate, reliable, and trustworthy.

Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.Survey finds most don’t know the numbers that help predict heart disease.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.High blood pressure symptoms and causes.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Facts about hypertension.National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Cholesterol levels: what you need to know.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.High cholesterol facts.American Heart Association.Causes of high cholesterol.Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Measure your blood pressure.

Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.Survey finds most don’t know the numbers that help predict heart disease.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.High blood pressure symptoms and causes.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Facts about hypertension.

National Library of Medicine: MedlinePlus.Cholesterol levels: what you need to know.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.High cholesterol facts.

American Heart Association.Causes of high cholesterol.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.Measure your blood pressure.

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