High blood pressure, also known as HBP or hypertension, is a health condition defined by an increased force of blood flowing through your blood vessels.

About 25% of people with Type 1 diabetes and 80% of people with Type 2 diabetes have high blood pressure, which means that diabetes and hypertension are associated.

People living with diabetes are already at high risk of heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and other health complications. Having diabetes in addition to high blood pressure will increase the risk of these health problems.

Therefore, it is essential to check your blood pressure at each visit with your healthcare provider to make sure that it is well controlled. The target blood pressure is 130 over 80 mm/Hg.

Depending on your blood pressure control and your health condition, the doctor will prescribe the type of medication that suits you best. You can be on two or more different types of blood pressure medications, one of them could be a diuretic.

In addition to blood pressure medications, a healthy lifestyle can help in improving blood pressure control.

Below are some tips that could help in improving your blood pressure status:

• Maintain a healthy weight or lose weight if needed.
• Exercise regularly
• Reduce sodium intake in your diet
• Quit smoking
• Avoid alcohol
• Reduce caffeine intake
• Avoid stress