Primary care physicians do a great deal to keep individuals free of illness and disease. And a lot of the care they provide is preventative in nature, meaning that they work with you to provide examinations, tests, and education to keep you from developing problems like high blood pressure. To learn more about what a primary care physician, like those at Premiere Medical Center Med Partners, will do to help you keep your blood pressure in a healthy range, keep reading.

Identify High-Risk Factors

Your doctor will take your blood pressure to see if it is within normal range and to also evaluate whether it has increased, decreased, or remained the same since your last appointment. Your physician will also ask you about your lifestyle and health history to see if you have any high-risk factors for high blood pressure. These include a family history of hypertension or heart disease. Specifically, if one or both parents or an aunt or uncle had hypertension, then this places you at risk for it. Regular consumption of alcohol, a diet that contains red meat, and a high salt diet are also risk factors. You should also know that your sleep habits can increase your blood pressure due to the release of cortisol into the bloodstream. Your physician will ask you questions about how many hours you sleep on a typical night and if you experience insomnia or wake up in the middle of the night. If sleeping problems exist, they may be treated in an attempt to reduce potential elevations of your blood pressure.

Perform Accurate Readings

Hypertension can be diagnosed if you have a high blood pressure reading several times within a three to six month period. Since the diagnosis is made based on the in-office reading, your physician will want to ensure that the blood pressure reading is accurate. Not only can this help you and the professional understand if you have a medical problem but it can assist with the evaluation of lifestyle changes and whether they are working or not to reduce your blood pressure when it does start to rise.

Accurate blood pressure readings are ones that may need to be taken several times during a single appointment. Many people are prone to rising blood pressure due to the fact that they know they are having their blood pressure taken. Taking your blood pressure at the beginning, middle, and end of your appointment can allow for a comparison and more accurate readings.