(J Studios/Getty Images | Digital Vision)By age 40, more than half of Americans have high blood pressure, but many are unaware of it. For people with systolic blood pressure ( the upper number) in the 130s, the recommendation is to start with these diet and lifestyle-related changes, then move to medication if blood pressure doesn’t improve. Research shows one medication alone is often not enough to lower blood pressure to the optimal range, he says. Transcript: JUANA SUMMERS, HOST: More than half of Americans aged 40 and over have high blood pressure. Dr. Dan Jones, who chaired the committee that wrote the guidelines, says it can be beneficial to start blood pressure medications as soon as blood pressure hits the risky range.