What You Need to Know About 137/88 Stage 1 High Blood Pressure

Understanding the Implications of 137/88 Blood Pressure

Blood pressure readings consist of two numbers - the systolic pressure (top number) and diastolic pressure (bottom number). A reading of 137/88 indicates a systolic reading of 137 mm Hg and a diastolic reading of 88 mm Hg. But what does this blood pressure level mean for your health?

Defining 137/88 Blood Pressure

Blood pressure guidelines define 137/88 as Stage 1 hypertension, often referred to as high blood pressure. This means the pressure against your artery walls exceeds healthy ranges when the heart beats and between beats.

While not yet severely elevated, Stage 1 hypertension does increase risk of heart attack, stroke, kidney disease, vision loss and cognitive decline over time if not managed. Thus, 137/88 warrants lifestyle changes and possibly medication to lower blood pressure into a healthy zone.

Understanding Blood Pressure Classifications

Blood pressure classifications are determined based on the higher of your two readings, either systolic or diastolic. For 137/88, the systolic pressure falls in the Stage 1 hypertensive range:

• Normal: less than 120/80
• Elevated: 120-129 systolic with under 80 diastolic
• Stage 1 Hypertension: 130-139 systolic or 80-89 diastolic
• Stage 2 Hypertension: 140+ systolic or 90+ diastolic

The diastolic measurement also impacts health risks. But the general rule is to base hypertension stage on whichever pressure, systolic or diastolic, sits in the higher range.

Risk Factors That Increase Likelihood of 137/88

Certain lifestyle factors and health conditions make developing 137/88 blood pressure more likely. Risk factors include:

• Age over 65 years
• Obesity
• African American ethnicity
• Family history of hypertension
• High sodium diet
• Excess alcohol intake
• Physical inactivity
• Diabetes
• High stress and anxiety
• Smoking

Mitigating controllable risk factors through diet, exercise, sleep, stress relief and smoking cessation helps prevent elevated blood pressure. But those with underlying health issues or a genetic predisposition may still require medication to control hypertension.

Potential Health Complications

If left untreated over months and years, 137/88 blood pressure can contribute to:

• Heart attack or stroke - Hypertension damages arteries and strains the cardiovascular system over time, increasing risk of plaque rupture or blocked blood supply to the heart or brain.
• Vision loss - High pressure damages delicate retinal blood vessels, potentially impairing blood flow to optic nerves.
• Kidney dysfunction - Arteries serving the kidneys narrow, reducing blood flow and causing surrounding tissue damage that impairs filtering capacity.
• Sexual dysfunction - Vascular impairment restricts blood flow needed for arousal response.
• Dementia - Chronic hypertension compromises small cerebral blood vessels, escalating risk for cognitive decline.

Lowering Stage 1 high blood pressure minimizes likelihood of these complications. But uncontrolled hypertension of any classification requires vigilant monitoring to help prevent end organ damage over time.

Lowering Elevated Blood Pressure Levels

Bringing down hypertension involves a multi-faceted action plan focused on:

• Weight loss - Shedding excess body fat reduces pressure on arterial walls.
• Dietary improvements - Emphasize vegetables, whole grains, lean proteins as well as potassium and magnesium consumption while limiting sodium, saturated fats, sugars and alcohol.
• Exercise - Aerobic and strength training for 30-60 minutes most days keeps arteries flexible and triggers biohormonal pathways that lower pressure.
• Stress management - Relaxation practices like meditation, yoga, deep breathing and massage minimize anxiety-induced pressure spikes.
• Medication - Doctors often prescribe diuretics, ACE inhibitors, beta blockers, calcium channel blockers or other options to lower blood pressure if lifestyle changes alone prove inadequate.

Rechecking pressure every 1-2 months ensures treatments successfully bring levels down to around 120/80 or the nearest optimal target advised by your physician.

Using Home Monitoring to Track 137/88 Blood Pressure

Relying solely on doctors office readings fails to provide a complete hypertension picture. Blood pressure fluctuates throughout each day. Plus, visiting a clinic often inherently stresses patients, artificially elevating their pressure.

For these reasons, home monitoring plays a crucial role in properly diagnosing and managing 137/88 high blood pressure over time.

Tips for At-Home Monitoring

Follow tips below to record home measurements that best inform treatment plans:

• Purchase an arm cuff monitor - Use a well-rated, recently calibrated automated model for consistent, accurate upper arm readings.
• Take readings correctly - Sit quietly for 5 minutes with back supported and feet flat. Wrap the cuff tightly per its instructions around bare skin. Keep the cuff at heart level as it inflates and record results.
• Monitor at key times - Check pressure first thing in morning before food or medication as well as in the evening before bedtime. Record the date and time with each reading.
• Track ongoing data - Note readings in a hypertension log app or notebook to identify patterns and treatment efficacy over weeks and months.

Arming your doctor with multiple home recordings provides invaluable data to direct care decisions in managing 137/88 high blood pressure.

Identifying Pressure Pattern Variability

Home monitoring may reveal:

• Consistently elevated readings, confirming Stage 1 hypertension.
• Isolated spikes, signaling anxiety, pain or situational influences temporarily increase pressure.
• Well-controlled morning readings that rise later in day, indicating issues like work stress.
• Widely fluctuating results needing further medical investigation.

Noticing these patterns allows tailoring of treatment and lifestyle changes to stabilize variability and maintain healthier consistent pressure.

Partnering With Your Doctor for 137/88 Blood Pressure Care

Doctors use at at-home hypertension data in conjunction with physical exams, medical histories and symptoms to guide Stage 1 high blood pressure treatment planning. Monitoring and data reporting at home combined with clinical oversight provides the most thorough approach to caring for 137/88 readings.

Determining Necessity of Medication

Lifestyle adjustments serve as the first line of defense against Stage 1 high blood pressure. But doctors may prescribe medication if levels remain above 130-135/85 after 3-6 months despite dietary improvements, weight loss, exercise and stress relief efforts.

Bring detailed home monitoring logs to appointments to help guide the decision of whether and which medication to start.

Reassessing Overall Heart Health

Doctors also consider 137/88 as a warning sign to comprehensively assess overall cardiovascular risk factors. They may recommend additional testing such as:

• Cholesterol panels
• Blood glucose tests
• Heart rate and rhythm monitoring
• Cardiac stress testing

Proactive screening enables early intervention for any issues threatening heart health beyond hypertension alone.

Committing to healthy lifestyles and partnering closely with medical providers ensures the best odds of successfully regulating 137/88 blood pressure over the long term before complications escalate.

Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult with a healthcare professional before starting any new treatment regimen.