Stressing about losing your job may cause more harm than actual job loss. More than 1,700 participants in the American’s Changing Lives (ACL) and the Midlife in the United States (MIDUS) studies were asked: How likely is it that during the next couple of years you will involuntarily lose your job? Researchers from the University of Michigan and the University of California wanted to find the effects of job insecurity on employee health.

"It may seem surprising that chronically high job-insecurity is more strongly linked with health declines than actual job loss or unemployment," says Sarah Burgard, lead author of the study and research assistant professor in the University of Michigan’s Department of Sociology and School of Public Health, "but there are a number of reasons why this is the case.”

Middle-aged people who lack sleep are more likely to develop high blood pressure than those who get a full night’s sleep. A recent study published in the June 8th edition of Archives of Internal Medicine suggests that adults between the ages of 33 and 45 should get at least seven hours of sleep to promote healthy blood pressure levels.

The study found that each hour of sleep reduction was linked to a 37% increased likelihood for high blood pressure. High blood pressure is a risk factor for heart attack, stroke, and heart failure. It is also a primary cause of kidney failure.

High blood pressure – also called hypertension – is characterized by a systolic blood pressure reading of at least 140 mmHg or a diastolic blood pressure reading of at least 90 mmHg. Healthy blood pressure should be near 120 mmHg for systolic and 80 mmHg for diastolic.

To keep blood sugar lower, get ample sleep, avoid stressful activities, minimize sodium intake, exercise often, and eat healthfully. Share your other blood pressure minimizing tips on the Healia High Blood Pressure Online Health Community and Support Group.

Not getting enough sleep? Get advice on the Healia Sleep Disorders Online Health Community and Support Group. Visit our Healia Sleep Disorders Quiz to challenge your knowledge about sleep.

It’s NCAA college basketball tournament time again and the "March Madness" can make your heart rate and blood pressure rise. This is especially true if you are watching your favorite team in a close game or sitting there helpless as a bracket-busting mid-major team ousts your championship pick in the first round. While this elevation in blood pressure is temporary, for sports fans there may be no better time to think about the lasting effects that chronic high blood pressure can have on your health, effects that may include kidney failure, heart disease, stroke, and early death.

The American Heart Association (AHA) has come up with a series of tips for ways to help control your high blood pressure at any time of the year. Follow these 10 tips and the AHA says you may be able to lower your high blood pressure to a healthier level:

• Know your blood pressure. Have it checked regularly or buy a reliable monitor to check it yourself at home.
  
• Know your ideal weight. Maintain your body weight in healthy range that is near the ideal.
  
• Skip the salt. Don't add extra salt salt to your meals and avoid foods with high sodium levels. Many processed and prepared foods contain large amounts of sodium so your sodium intake can be sky high without ever adding extra salt to anything. Check the packaging on prepared foods for the sodium levels and try to limit your sodium intake to between 1,500 mg and 2,400 mg per day.
  
• Eat nutrient-rich foods. Eat a diet rich in fruits, vegetables and whole-grain high-fiber foods according to American Heart Association recommendations.
  
• Limit alcohol intake. Don’t exceed one drink per day if you are a woman or two drinks a day if you are a man.
  
• Take your medicine properly. Your blood pressure medications should be taken exactly as the doctor prescribed. Be careful not to run out of pills, not even for a single day as it can have serious repercussions for your blood pressure.
  
• Keep appointments with the doctor. Make sure to see your doctor regularly and go to all your follow-up appointments.
  
• Get physical. Increase your physical activity level, but be sure to follow your doctor's advice about the type and amount of exercise that is right for you.
  
• Have your family checked. Make certain your parents, brothers, sisters and children have their blood pressure checked regularly. If you have high blood pressure, they are more likely to have it, and the reverse is also true.
  
• Live a normal life in every other way. Don’t let high blood pressure restrict your enjoyment of life. Constantly worrying about your health may actually make your high blood pressure worse.

Talk to your doctor to find out more information on lowering your blood pressure and keeping it low. To learn about preventing high blood pressure before it occurs, see "How can I Prevent High Blood Pressure" in the Healia Health Guide to High Blood Pressure.

_{Source: American Heart Association, 10 Ways to Control Your High Blood Pressure, Reviewed 01/08. http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=578}

_{Photo: KitAy, Flickr, Creative Commons}

Researchers in Japan report that adults who don’t get enough sleep face an increased risk of heart disease. The study, which involved more than 1200 people who had high blood pressure, found that those who got less than 7.5 hours of sleep per night had a 68% greater chance of suffering a heart attack, stroke, or cardiac death. A subset of the study participants who got less than 7.5 hours of sleep a night and also experienced elevated overnight blood pressure had a fourfold increase in cardiovascular problems.

The findings suggest that doctors caring for patients with high blood pressure should ask them about their sleep habits, the researchers report in the Archives of Internal Medicine. The study did not address the effect of sleep time on people with normal blood pressure.

The researchers suspect that a lack of sleep leads to increased nervous system activity throughout the day, which may in turn stress the cardiovascular system. Previous research has demonstrated that inadequate sleep can contribute to conditions such as obesity and diabetes, and is also associated with risk factors for cardiovascular disease including sleep-disordered breathing and elevated overnight blood pressure.

If you have high blood pressure, you may want to talk to your doctor about ways to improve your sleep habits. You might also want to ask him or her about enrolling you in a sleep study that can examine your nighttime breathing and blood pressure. Many people who have sleep disorders such as sleep apnea or elevated overnight blood pressure have no idea they are affected.

The Healia Health Community on sleep disorders allows you to ask questions about these and other sleep problems. Find out more about heart disease and its risk factors in the Healia Health Guide to Heart Disease.

 

 

^{Photo: Brian Boulos, Flickr, Creative Commons}

Although massage has many health benefits, massage therapy may be potentially hazardous for people with certain health conditions. For the average, healthy individual, massage can help increase blood flow to the muscles, increase healing, and speed healing time. Massage is good for relaxing the entire body, which lowers blood pressure, lowers heart rate, and decreases stress. There are more than 80 types of massage therapy dating back thousands of years.

However, for some people who have high blood pressure, cancer, or other health conditions, massage therapy may be dangerous.

People with high blood pressure who are not on medication should consult with their physician before getting a massage. A massage will increase blood flow. In a person with high blood pressure, that could cause serious problems.

People with cancer should also be cautious when it comes to getting a massage. The lymphatic system is a key vehicle for the spread of cancer. Massage that stimulates the lymphatic system could be detrimental. Cancer patients should also avoid direct pressure on the tumor area or areas that have become inflamed due to radiation.

In addition to the above conditions, if you have one or more of the following health issues, consult your health care provider before getting a massage:

 

• Damaged blood vessels
• Burns or open wounds on the area to be massaged
• A bleeding disorder or taking blood-thinning drugs
• Recent heart attack or heart problems
• Rheumatoid arthritis in the area to be massaged
• Deep vein thrombosis (a blood clot in a deep vein, usually in the legs)
• Weakened bones from osteoporosis or a recent fracture
• Fever
• Pregnancy
• Fragile skin, as from diabetes or a healing scar
• Damage to bones or muscles that could be manipulated out of place, like a slipped disc
• Rashes, such as eczema, poison ivy, or other skin allergy

For more information about massage, be sure to visit Healia Communities and connect with members of the Complementary and Alternative Medicine Community. Or Ask an Expert about massage therapy.

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