High blood pressure is well known to be associated with heart attacks and strokes.  But did you know that it is associated with memory impairment, too?

Blood pressure is a measure that indicates the presence of hypertension. Hypertension occurs when the blood is under increased pressure, pushing against the walls of your blood vessels.

New studies are showing that high blood pressure can damage the brain and cause dementia. In an new study released at the American Heart Association’s 57th annual hypertension meeting in Washington, D.C., Dr. J. Richard Jennings of the University of Pittsburgh released new research that indicates that high blood pressure might add ten years to the normal aging of the brain!

In general, there are three kinds of memory:  working memory, short term memory and long term memory.  Working memory is the ability to remember small amounts of information for a short period and then use them in a task or activity.  In his study of 59 people with normal blood pressure and 37 people with high blood pressure, Dr. Jennings found that individuals with high blood pressure were not able to perform as well as the others on a test of working memory.  On basic tests of short term and long term memory, those with high blood pressure also failed to perform as well as those with normal blood pressure.  When PET scans of the brains were taken, it was determined that there was less blood flowing to the memory regions of the brain in the people who had high blood pressure.This information is consistent with that provided by Janyna M. Mercado, PhD and Robin Hilsabeck, PhD in an article published by the American Academy of Neurology, titled: “Untreated hypertension can lead to memory loss by cutting down on blood flow to the brain.”

Untreated hypertension can lead to memory loss by cutting down on blood flow to the brain. Scientists agree that reduced blood flow to the brain impacting memory centers can cause people to perform more poorly on memory related tasks.

Your blood carries the body’s basic brain fuel, oxygen and sugar, to the brain’s memory centers.  If you have hypertension, your blood is under increased pressure, pushing against the walls of the your blood vessels.  There is not enough blood getting through to fuel optimal brain functioning.

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UNTREATED HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE KILLS ABOUT 118,000 AMERICANS EACH YEAR.

• Get your blood pressure tested today! Many pharmacies, like CVS and Rite-Aid have free blood pressure testing on site.  Ask your pharmacist to help.  If your blood pressure is high, seek medical advice!
• Take steps to reduce your stress.Stress has been found to be a factor that can contribute to high blood pressure.  There is also a definite relationship between stress and memory impairment.
• Consider hosting a What’sYourNameAgain.com club community blood pressure testing event! As the sponsor, you will provide a valuable community service, make friends, and earn some additional income.  For more information, Contact Us.