High sodium diets are more often linked to high blood pressure than those low in this mineral. While sodium is important to maintaining blood pressure, low levels don’t cause a rise in blood pressure. Instead, you may suffer other complications from too little sodium in the body.

Exercise is crucial to health and having a full, active life at any age. While risk factors for illness and ailments increase with age, exercise can help offset those risks. Exercise can reduce the risk of hypertension, heart disease, diabetes, osteoarthritis and osteoporosis in seniors.

Calcium channel blockers and beta-blockers are both medicines used to treat hypertension and abnormal heart rhythms. Calcium channel blockers such as nifedipine, verapamil and diltiazem, prevent calcium from getting into heart muscle cells and smooth muscle cells surrounding arteries.

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, elevated blood pressure affects 74.5 million people in the United States per year. Untreated elevated blood pressure produces heart disease and stroke. Heart disease remains the No. 1 cause of death in the United States.

Platelet aggregation is one of the factors that leads to cardiovascular disease and increases risk of heart attack and stroke. Blood thinning drugs such as warfarin and aspirin are used to decrease platelet aggregation for some individuals.

Many people ingest caffeine on a daily basis, whether through coffee, tea or soft drinks. Energy drinks, chocolate and some medications may also be sources of caffeine. While this habit may not create any problems for most people, caffeine can have an impact on your blood pressure.

Melatonin is a natural sleep supplement often used for those with jet lag or other disorders related to circadian rhythms. However, it is possible that in addition to regulating sleep, it may be a useful treatment for some chronic conditions, including high blood pressure.

Commercial table salt consists mainly of sodium chloride, an electrolyte mineral compound that directly affects human blood pressure. When you consume salt, it dissolves in food liquid and stomach fluid, and your body absorbs the minerals when they reach your small intestine.

Beta blockers are a class of medications used to treat conditions that include heartbeat abnormalities, heart failure, chest pain and high blood pressure, states MayoClinic.com. When you take beta blockers, they slow your heart rate, and this heart rate decrease may change your body’s reactions to exercise.

Blood pressure is the force of blood against your artery walls, and it often fluctuates throughout the day. When blood pressure remains high for a sustained period of time, it is called high blood pressure or hypertension. Hypertension forces the heart to work hard, increasing your risk of stroke and heart disease.

Heart palpitations during an allergic reaction may indicate the onset of a life-threatening condition called anaphylaxis. Anaphylactic allergy symptoms can occur following contact with certain foods, drugs, insects and plant products, such as latex.

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, accounts for more than 23,000 deaths in the United States annually, and affects one in three non-institutionalized Americans in 2010, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.