The stressful life of today has got some people's blood either boiling or their blood pressure shooting to the roof. However, new research might change things as those who have hypertension may need to dial it down to save their life.

Encountering hypertension, or having a high blood pressure, during a person's middle age raises the risk of having a heart attack or a stroke later in life, according to the new research by lead author Norrina Allen, assistant professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

Allen explained that their findings show that the longer hypertension is postponed the lower is the risk for cardiovascular disease.

In their study, researchers used the data of 61,585 participants from the Cardiovascular Lifetime Risk Pooling Project. Starting with a baseline blood pressure readings at age 41, blood pressure was monitored again at age 55, and then followed until the occurrence of person's first heart attack or stroke, death, or when they reach the age of 95.

Based on their findings, they discovered that men who developed high blood pressure in middle age or who started out with high blood pressure had a 70% risk of having a heart attack or stroke, compared to 41% risk of men who maintained low blood pressure or whose blood pressure decreased during the time period.

For women, the percentages were lower; those who developed high blood pressure had almost a 50% risk of heart attack or stroke compared to a 22% risk for those who kept their blood pressure low or saw a decrease.

All in all, research shows that generally, men have a 55% risk of cardiovascular disease, while women have 40% risk in their lifetimes. In addition, people who maintain or reduce their blood pressure to normal levels by age 55 have the lowest lifetime risk for a heart attack or a stroke.

According to the study's coauthor Donald M. Lloyd-Jones, their research suggests that people can take preventive steps to keep their blood pressure low early on to reduce their chances of a heart attack or stroke.

So what can people do to maintain a healthy or normal blood pressure? For starters, people should avoid a high intake of salt, at the same time, avoid taking in too much alcohol or coffee, and stop smoking, according to MedicineNet.com.

Other things that people can do to keep their blood in check is to go on a healthy diet - low-calorie diet that has a lot of fiber, and is rich in minerals and vitamins. Also, keep in mind to reduce the consumption of red meat, which may raise cholesterol levels, and in turn, increase blood pressure, reported Amy Cates of eHow.com.

Aside from a healthy diet, exercising regularly can help maintain or even lower blood pressure, and improvements are almost immediate. Other factors that should be considered are a person's anxiety, anger, and hostility as these things can constrict the arteries which cause blood pressure to rise.