5 Blood Pressure Myths That Are Making You Worry for No Good Reason

A family doctor explains what those numbers really mean in your 30s and 40s, and when you can stop stressing about them.

Is your blood pressure making your anxious even though your doctor says it’s normal?

While blood pressure is an important part of our overall cardiovascular picture, it’s not the only factor.

When you measure your blood pressure once, you’re getting a single snapshot in time of the pressure in your arteries. What you don’t know is whether that number is even that high, how the heart is responding, how the vessels are responding, and how quickly that number might be going down.

Welcome to the Healthy Aging Newsletter, a free publication translating trustworthy medical research into simple habits to age well, free of chronic disease. I’m Dr. Ashori, a family medicine doctor turned health coach.

Top 5 Heart Health Myths

These are the top 5 myths I’ve heard from my patients. I address these points at least weekly in my practice.

#1. Myth - A Single High Reading is a Crisis

It takes decades for high blood pressure to cause any real damage. A single high reading tells is just one reading among thousands in a 24-hour period.

There are true blood pressure emergencies. But even when I worked in the ER, it was very rare to see them. Generally, those are people who are coming in with 280/175.

#2. Myth - A Good Blood Pressure Means I’m OK

Your real vital signs are your energy, how well you recover, and your body composition. Even with perfect blood pressure, heart disease can happen in the background.

When it comes to overall cardiovascular health, it’s best to have a balanced view. Too granular and you’ll obsess over a high diastolic reading. Too zoomed out and you’ll ignore the subtle signs that are causing inflammation and hardening of the vessels.

#3. Myth - Medications Are the Only Way to Lower Blood Pressure

Here are the most common reasons my patients develop high blood pressure:

• Stress

• Inadequate sleep

• Too much refined carbs

• Not enough downtime

• Too much alcohol

You can go from 160/98 down to normal with just lifestyle changes. It requires experimentation to see what your body responds to.

But a few people have fairly resistant hypertension that always needs medication(s) to get it under control. It’s the minority, even if the majority of those with hypertension are on prescription medications.

#4. Myth - High Blood Pressure is Genetics

My dad had it, my uncles, and my brother. So obviously I have it and need to get it treated.

High blood pressure can run in families but it rarely does. In fact, the reason we use the term Essential Hypertension is because there is no identifiable cause.

Genes are powerful drivers of health but they are quite dependent on expression. The lifestyle we lead affects how genes behave.

#5. Myth - It’s All About Salt

In fact, it’s rarely about salt. Most people are not salt sensitive. You can cut back your salt but you may experience no change in your blood pressure.

The thing about excess salt is that it has lots of other side effects, not just interfering with pressures inside arteries. Too much sodium is just as bad as too much potassium, zinc, or magnesium.

If you prefer one mantra, I’d say: "“It’s all about refined carbs. Cut them down and see your BP drop!” Excess simple carbs raise your uric acid, raising your blood pressure.

Ready to get your blood pressure under control?

BONUS #6 Myth - The Perfect Blood Pressure is less than 120/80

My blood pressure is rarely under 120/80 and I have no intention of taking blood pressure medication. Unless my underlying baseline risk changes, aiming for an arbitrary number can only cause anxiety or harm.

To figure out what your blood pressure should be you need to know your other risk factors.

• Sedentary

• Stressed

• Unfavorable body composition

• Very high cholesterol

• Sleep apnea

• Prediabetic

• Strong family history of heart disease

If most of the above are met, a lower number makes sense. But only up to a point. For most of us, going from 160/90 → 150/80 will give you massive results. From 150/80 → 140/75, maybe a little bit more. From 140/75 → 115/65, likely a negligible benefit. Unless you are very high-risk.

Disclaimer:

Dr. Mohammad Ashori is a U.S.-trained family medicine physician turned health coach. The content shared here is for education and general guidance only. It is not personal medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment, and it does not create a doctor–patient relationship. Humans are complicated and context matters. Always talk with your own healthcare team before making medical decisions, changing medications, or ignoring symptoms. This information is to help you add more depth to those conversations.