Don’t Let Stress Put You at Risk for Hypertension
Stress is part of everyday life, but the way you handle it—or don’t—can put your health at risk. Many reactions to stress, such as poor sleep, unhealthy eating habits, smoking and a sedentary lifestyle, can raise your risk of developing hypertension (high blood pressure). Of course, creating a plan to lower your stress level can help you avoid hypertension altogether, or better manage it if you already have the condition.
Know Your Risk
Hypertension often does not have symptoms, which means you may not know you have the condition until you are screened by a doctor. You should have your blood pressure measured at least once a year, especially if you have any of the following risk factors:
- Family history of hypertension
- Excess weight
- Smoking
- Lack of exercise
- Type 2 diabetes
Hypertension is Hazardous to Your Health
If left unchecked, hypertension can lead to a number of serious—sometimes life-threatening—conditions, such as:
- Stroke
- Heart failure
- Kidney disease
- Vision impairment
- Sexual dysfunction
- Bone loss
News You Can Use
Stress Tied to Heart Disease, Especially in People Under Age 50
Stress may increase the risk for heart disease, especially in people under age 50. A recent study in The BMJ found that a person with a stress disorder was 29 percent more likely to develop cardiovascular disease than his or her sibling without a stress disorder, and 37 percent more likely than those in the general population.
Veggies, Fruits and Grains Keep Your Heart Pumping
Using health data from some 16,000 people, a study in the Journal of the American College of Cardiology found those who ate plant-based diets reduced their chance of developing heart failure by 41 percent. Those who ate diets high in meat, fried and processed foods had a 72 percent increased risk of heart failure.
Exercise Is Key to Maintaining Weight Loss
People who have lost weight and want to keep it off need regular physical activity, according to a study in Obesity. Three groups of people were analyzed: those who lost 30 pounds or more and kept it off for more than a year; those who were of normal weight; and those who were overweight or obese. The study found that the people who had lost weight and kept it off walked about 12,000 steps per day; normal-weight adults registered about 9,000 steps per day; and those who were overweight or obese walked about 6,500 steps per day.
If you are considering enrolling in a college or a graduate program through one of our Tuition Assistance programs, or even if you’re already enrolled, these workshops can help you understand the benefits of online courses, which offer more flexibility to balance your work and family commitments with your educational and career goals. Topics include accessing undergraduate and graduate degree programs, exploring potential growth careers and managing the work-life-school balance. And because the courses are available online, you can take them whenever you’d like.
Raymund Paolo Cordero had grown up in the Philippines, where life, he said, was “challenging.” He earned his BA in Nursing, but employment prospects were dim. His wife, Maria, whom he’d met in nursing school, had emigrated to the U.S. in 2008, and encouraged him to join her. “I was so excited,” Raymund said. He landed his first job in healthcare at a non-1199SEIU dialysis center, working 16-hour days. When he was offered a position as an acute hemodialysis nurse at Mount Sinai Brooklyn, he took it. The salary that would take him a month to earn in the Philippines he was suddenly making in three hours. And he’s now able to provide for his family, which has grown to include his 4-year-old, daughter, Iris, and his 1 1/2-year-old, son, Rafael. In 2017, Raymund took advantage of the 1199SEIU Citizenship Program and became a U.S. citizen in 2018. Now he’s set his sights on earning his master’s degree in Nursing Management. “Everyone has a purpose,” Raymund said. “Everyone can make a contribution.”