Know Your Numbers: The Key to a Healthier Heart
- Tria Health
- Sep 26
- 3 min read
Your heart has been working hard since day one, so maybe today it deserves a little extra attention. Simple numbers like blood pressure, cholesterol, blood sugar, and weight can tell you a lot about how well your heart is doing. These aren't just stats for your medical chart, they're tools that help you stay ahead of potential problems and protect your health.
What Key Numbers Should You Know?
Blood Pressure
Target: Around 120/80 mmHg or lower
High blood pressure often develops without symptoms, yet it quietly damages blood vessels and strains your heart over time. Regular checks, even at the pharmacy or with a home cuff, are one of the best ways to spot trouble early.
Cholesterol
Target: LDL cholesterol under 100 mg/dL, higher HDL is better
LDL cholesterol builds up in arteries, while HDL helps clear it away. Think of it as a balance, keeping LDL low and HDL higher reduces your chance of heart attack and stroke.
Blood Sugar (A1c)
Target: Below 5.7%, 5.7–6.4% means prediabetes, 6.5% or higher suggests diabetes
Elevated blood sugar doesn’t just affect energy. Over time, it damages blood vessels and nerves, raising heart disease risk. Monitoring A1c gives a clearer picture than a single finger-stick test.
Weight and Waist Size
Target: A BMI of 18.5–24.9 and a waist under 40 inches for men or 35 inches for women
Carrying extra weight, especially around your middle, stresses the heart and makes conditions like diabetes and high blood pressure more likely. Even modest weight loss can improve your numbers.
How These Numbers Interact
Your numbers rarely act alone. When one is off, others often follow. For example:
High blood pressure + high cholesterol can damage arteries faster than either condition on its own.
Diabetes increases the risk of high blood pressure and unhealthy cholesterol, creating a cycle that strains the heart.
Excess weight often drives up both blood pressure and blood sugar, adding to the burden.
That’s why providers look at your overall risk rather than just one number. The bigger picture matters, and each small improvement adds up.
What You Can Do
Knowing your numbers is just the start, the real power comes from using them to guide action. Here’s how:
Get tested regularly. Annual check-ups or screenings help track trends, not just one-time results.
Make small, steady changes. Even 10 minutes of walking a day, swapping fried foods for baked, or reducing sugary drinks can make measurable differences.
Bring results to appointments. Keep a log of blood pressure readings, lab results, or weight changes and share them with your provider.
Ask for plain explanations. If a number is high, ask: “What does this mean for me? What’s my first step?”
Work with your pharmacist. Pharmacists can review medicines, explain lab results in clear language, and follow up to ensure treatments are working.
For extra support, explore our blog posts with heart-healthy recipes that make it easier to keep your numbers in check!
How Tria Health Can Help
Tria Health is available at no cost through select health insurance providers. At Tria Health, our pharmacists meet with you one-on-one to make sense of your numbers and connect them to your daily life. We review medications, help set realistic goals, and coordinate with your providers so your care feels seamless. Whether you’re managing one condition or several, we’re here to keep your heart health on track.
Questions?
You can always contact the Tria Health Desk at 913-322-8456 for questions about your medications or overall health.
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