Shutterstock
High blood pressure kills, and it kills quietly.
There aren't any obvious signs when a patient's blood pressure has drifted into dangerously high territory, other than a cuff reading, which is why many call hypertension the "silent killer." It can be tough to see outward signs of pressure building up in a person's blood vessels until it's too late, and the extra stress on arteries leads to a heart attack, stroke or heart failure.
The problem contributes to more than 1,000 US deaths every day, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).
Recently, the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology lowered the bar for what they consider "high blood pressure," warning anyone with a cuff reading above 130/80 that they're now officially in the danger zone (that's down from the previous "high" blood pressure bar of 140/90.)
The new guidelines mean nearly half (46%) of all adults in the US should lower their blood pressure, according to the American Heart Association.
Here are some tips on how to do it.