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Health Tips
High Blood Pressure
What is High Blood Pressure?
National Institutes of Health - National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Blood pressure is the force of blood against the walls of arteries. Blood pressure rises and falls throughout the day. But when the pressure stays elevated over time, then it becomes high blood pressure.
The medical term for high blood pressure is hypertension. High blood pressure is dangerous because it makes the heart work too hard and contributes to atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). It increases the risk of heart disease (the first-leading cause of death among Americans) and stroke (the third-leading cause of death among Americans). High blood pressure also can result in other conditions, such as congestive heart failure, kidney disease, and blindness.
Risk Factors for Heart Disease:
National Institutes of Health - National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
Risk factors are conditions or behaviors that increase your likelihood of developing a disease. When you have more than one for heart disease, your risk greatly multiplies. So if you have high blood pressure, you need to take action. Fortunately, most of the heart disease risk factors are largely within your control.
Risk factors under your control are:
- High blood pressure
- High blood cholesterol
- Cigarette smoking
- Diabetes
- Overweight
- Physical inactivity
Risk factors beyond your control are:
- Age (45 or older for men; 55 or older for women)
- Family history of early heart disease (having a mother or sister who has been diagnosed with heart disease before age 65, or a father or brother diagnosed before age 55)
What do blood pressure numbers indicate?
American Heart Association
- The higher (systolic) number represents the pressure while the heart is beating.
- The lower (diastolic) number represents the pressure when the heart is resting between beats.
The systolic pressure is always stated first and the diastolic pressure second. For example: 122/76 (122 over 76); systolic = 122, diastolic = 76.
Blood pressure of less than 140 over 90 is considered a normal reading for adults. A systolic pressure of 130 to 139 or a diastolic pressure of 85 to 89 needs to be watched carefully. A blood pressure reading equal to or greater than 140 (systolic) over 90 (diastolic) is considered elevated (high).
Ways of Preventing High Blood Pressure
National Institutes of Health - National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute
- Healthy Weight - Carrying extra weight can promote high blood pressure and encourage other heart and lung diseases. Even the loss of 10 pounds can have a significant impact on your risk of blood-pressure problems.
- Active Lifestyle - The average adult requires half an hour of moderate-level exercise most days of the week to reach acceptable standards of health and lower levels of blood pressure.
- Healthy Diet - The majority of Americans ingest more sodium than they need per day, unnecessarily driving up their blood pressure.
- Alcoholic Beverages in Moderation - Alcohol has been shown in excess to drive up blood pressure.
- Adhere to High Blood Pressure Medication Directions
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