Understanding Blood Pressure
Blood pressure is the pressure of the blood in the arteries as the heart pumps it around the body. It is measured by a machine known as the sphygmomanometer. There two forces that the apparatus measures:
1) Systolic - This is shown as the top number when reading your BP. This is the pressure in the arteries as the heart is squeezing blood out during each beat.
2) Diastolic – This is the force of blood in the arteries as the heart relaxes between beats. This is shown as the bottom number when reading your BP.
Since blood pressure varies, it is recommended that you measure your blood pressure regularly so that you have an idea what your regular readings are when seeing a doctor.
When can you tell you have a high blood pressure? These numbers serve as your guide but these are not absolute. It is still best that you consult your physician.
120/80 or less - normal blood pressure
120/80 and 140/90 - high normal
140/90 or above - high
180 or above - very high
What happens if you have a high blood pressure?
High blood pressure is the most common factor of stroke. If it remains at a very high pressure, it could break blood vessels in your brain, thus bleeding and clotting in your brain. Also, when blood vessels burst in your eyes, this could lead to blindness. Among other things, it could thicken the blood vessels in the kidneys preventing the kidneys to filtering failure.
What are the causes of high blood pressure?
One important thing you should keep in mind is that there is no cure for hypertension but it can be prevented. How? Oh no, you might say here she goes again, but let me tell you briefly how you can prevent it: Be active; eat a wide variety of foods; achieve and maintain an healthy weight; stop smoking if you are, watch your drink and if on medication, take it exactly as prescribed.