Many people worry about their blood pressure as high levels can pose a danger to your health.
High blood pressure can strain your heart. But what is normal and what to do if it is too high?
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Your heart beat moves blood around your body, and as the blood flows, it pushes against the walls of your blood vessels.
Your blood pressure is the strength of all this pushing.
What is normal blood pressure?
The ideal blood pressure is below 120 and above 80 (120/80), while most adults in the UK have blood pressures between 120 and 80 (120/80), and 140 over 90 (1140/90).
The higher the number, the systolicpressure is. This is the force at the which your heart pumps blood around your body.
The diastolic pressure is the resistance to blood flow within the blood vessels.
You can request a blood pressure reading at your local GP as it hardly takes any time, just a few minutes.
A sphygmomanometer measures blood pressure.
You place a cuff around your arm, and inflate it with a pump to cut off circulation.
A small valve gradually deflates and inflates the cuff. This gives the doctor an opportunity to measure blood pressure.
What are the consequences if it is too high?
Hypertension, which is a high blood pressure, can cause extra strain on your arteries and heart. This can lead to strokes and heart attacks.
The majority of the time, the lower your blood pressure is the better.
If you feel dizziness or nausea, fainting, or dehydration, low blood pressure could be a problem.
You should consult your GP if you have any of these symptoms.
What are the signs and symptoms of hypertension?
If left untreated, high blood pressure can pose a serious risk for strokes and heart attacks.
You may experience severe headaches, confusion, fatigue, vision problems, chest pains, and even nausea.
Patients with high blood pressure may experience difficulties breathing, irregular heartbeats and blood in the urine. They might also feel pounding inside their ears, chest, neck or chest.
It’s best to see your GP if you experience any of these symptoms.
What causes hypertension? How can you lower it?
Hypertension is more likely if you’re older than 65, overweight, don’t exercise often, or have a family history of high blood pressure.
Losing weight and exercising regularly can help lower blood pressure.
Doctors also recommend reducing alcohol intake, and quitting.
It is also important to reduce sodium intake in your diet.
If natural methods fail to reduce the amount, your doctor will prescribe medication.