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High blood pressure is caused by a complex mix of genetic and lifestyle factors. Sometimes it’s caused by an underlying medical condition, such as a hormone or kidney disorder, but for most people it seems to develop on its own. Risk factors for high blood pressure include older age, smoking, obesity, excessive alcohol intake, inactivity, a high-salt diet, diabetes, high cholesterol, family history of high blood pressure, and Black race.

Before measuring your blood pressure, take a seat in a place where your back is straight and supported, with your feet flat on the floor and your legs uncrossed. Using pillows or a table, rest your arm at about the height of your heart with your palm facing upwards. Place the blood pressure cuff on your bare upper arm. Relax in this position for about 5 minutes without talking. This is a great opportunity for 5 minutes of focus on some deep, relaxed breathing without distractions. After resting for 5 minutes, take your first blood pressure reading. Wait 1 minute and then take a second reading. Discard the first reading and record the second.

You should measure your blood pressure at different times of day, because it can and will vary hour to hour. You may find that it’s a bit higher first thing in the morning and lower at night or shortly after exercise; this kind of variation is normal. At Amazon One Medical, we recommend checking once in the morning and once in the evening.

If you’re following up on a high reading from your provider’s office, then checking twice a day - morning and night - for about a week should give you a good sense of where your blood pressure range really lies. This is also a good approach if you’re monitoring a change in blood pressure medications. Otherwise, just the occasional reading is more than sufficient. Amazon One Medical members can share these home blood pressure readings directly with their primary care provider using the One Medical app.

The DASH diet, which stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension, is a plan specifically designed to help manage high blood pressure. It emphasizes the importance of eating a variety of nutrient-rich foods that are beneficial for heart health. The DASH diet is quite similar to the Mediterranean diet and is a plant-focused diet, rich in fruits and vegetables, nuts, with low-fat and non-fat dairy, lean meats like fish and poultry, mostly whole grains, and heart-healthy fats. You can read more about a healthy diet for high blood pressure on the One Medical blog.

A primary care provider can determine if you need prescription medication to treat high blood pressure. If your care plan includes a prescription, you'll be asked to select a pharmacy. You can send it to your preferred pharmacy or select Amazon Pharmacy to get your medications delivered right to your door.