Blood pressure is something we all have. It is the force of the blood against the walls of our arteries. As long as the “numbers” are within the good range everything is great. However, let those numbers start to rise and we have a problem. Depending upon how soon we find out about the rise in blood pressure, we may have a very bad problem leading into what could result in a deadly situation.
There is a serious mistake about blood pressure that many people believe and that is that they can tell if their blood pressure is elevated without testing. Wrong. Wrong. Wrong! High blood pressure is called the “silent killer” for a reason and that reason is often times there are no signs or symptoms. An individual cannot tell if their blood pressure is in the dangerous range unless they are tested. This can be done with a monitor purchased locally, from a health care provider (the nurse at a doctor’s office or at a health screening) or some stores and malls have a blood pressure monitor for their customers.
As mentioned above, the frightening thing about developing high blood pressure is that there are no warning signs or symptoms. It doesn’t matter about your age, it doesn’t matter about your gender, and it doesn’t matter about your race. Anyone can develop high blood pressure. It has been estimated that one out of every three or four American adults has high blood pressure.
The sad thing is that once it develops, it will last a lifetime; however, with diet, exercise, a weight loss program and stress management techniques many individuals have been able to come off their blood pressure medication (with their physician’s approval) and keep it under control.
Normal blood pressure should be less than 120/80 mmHg (millimeters of mercury). When we speak it, we say “120 over 80”. The 120 mmHg is the systolic number (top number) and 80 mmHg is the diastolic number (down number). High blood pressure is 140/90 or higher. Prehypertension or high normal blood pressure is 130/85.
Tips for taking your blood pressure:
Before having your blood pressure taken, go to the bathroom if you have to since a full bladder can change your blood pressure measurement. Don’t smoke cigarettes or drink coffee 30 minutes before having your blood pressure taken. Sit for 5 minutes with your back against the chair and feet flat on the floor before the measurement is taken. Rest your arm on the table. In order for the results to be accurate, your arm on the table needs to be at the level of your heart. Wear short sleeves so that your arm is exposed. There should be two readings taken at least two minutes apart then average the results. Don’t forget to ask the doctor or nurse to give you the blood pressure reading in numbers not whether the reading is normal, low, or high.
With the lifestyle that we live, we should encourage our children, starting at age 18, to have their blood pressure checked every 2 years. If parents set an example for their children, this would not be an issue when it comes time for them to check their own blood pressure. If an individual is over 40 years old, they should check their blood pressure often since most Americans are at risk after age 40.
Consider that you may be at an even higher risk level if you are overweight, have a family history of high blood pressure, eat food high in salt, don’t exercise on a regular basis, smoke, drink alcohol (more than 2 drinks per day for men and 1 drink per day for women).
When blood pressure begins to rise, we say someone has high blood pressure. The medical term for high blood pressure is “hypertension”. As the pressure increases so do your chances of getting heart disease, kidney disease, having a stroke or going blind. Not only does the quality of life suffer with these health issues, but consider how dealing with them can destroy you financially – even if you have insurance.
Begin now to take control of your health by eating better, doing moderate exercise, losing weight and following some simple stress management techniques to lower and control your hypertension. By controlling your blood pressure you may be able to spend your money on activities you can enjoy with your friends and family rather than struggling to pay your medical debt.
Therese has been writing articles online for the past several years. Not only does this author specialize in health and wellness information, you can also check out her latest website at Tankless Water Heater Cost which provides information on instant hot water heaters
for homeowners.
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