What is high blood pressure? We often hear the term high blood pressure, but do we really understand what it means? For most people it automatically denotes hypertension. Together, let us discover what high blood pressure stands for.
First, blood pressure is the bloods’ force against the walls of the arteries. The rise and fall of blood pressure may happen numerous times on a daily basis. You may get a high blood pressure reading at some instances due to a lot of factors but it goes back to a normal reading without needed interventions or without you noticing it. If it stays at an elevated rate over a prolonged period of time, it is then called hypertension. High blood pressure will make the heart work harder which can attribute to atherosclerosis or the hardening of the arteries. It will also increase the chances of heart disease, congestive heart failure, kidney disease, blindness and stroke. Right now, these disease and illnesses are very prevalent and dominant among many people around the world.
A normal blood pressure should be 120/80 mmHg. If it hits 140/90 mmHg, it’s already considered high. If it is between 120/80 mmHg and 139/89 mmHg, it’s considered a prehypertension stage. Don’t be alarmed, but let me tell you that this may indicate that even when you don’t have hypertension right now, you may develop hypertension in the future. Many people at the age of 65 and over are at high chances of developing high blood pressure due to many factors. Diet and lifestyle are some key reasons. Adapting a healthy living with a healthy diet should be considered to combat high blood pressure.
In a more clinical explanation, the blood pressure has a systolic and a diastolic reading. The systolic is the blood’s force as the heart beats, while the diastolic is the pressure when the heart relaxes between beats. In a reading of 120/80 mmHg, the systolic reading is the number 120 and the diastolic is the number 80. People with high blood pressure gets a high systolic but does not necessarily need a high diastolic. Even when the diastolic reading is at a normal rate if the systolic reading is high like 140 it could still mean that you are experiencing a high blood pressure. In any case, regular doctors’ visits are recommended to eliminate and detect impending health problems.