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Posts Tagged ‘hypertension’

Every time you visit your doctor, one of the things that is being done to you in order to determine your condition is check your blood pressure. To measure your blood pressure, your upper arm will be wrapped with an inflatable cuff. The cuff will then be inflated to temporarily cut off blood circulation and allow the blood to slowly flow back. This lets the person taking your blood pressure monitor the sounds as the blood flows through the arteries. Although your blood pressure changes from time to time, it is important to always maintain a good blood pressure. In other words, maintain a blood pressure reading below 120/80 for those in their 20s and above.

To some people, a blood pressure is just numbers. But for those who are health conscious, it is helpful if you understand what the numbers mean and why it’ is very important to regularly monitor it. By knowing your blood pressure and knowing what good blood pressure is, you will be able to prevent future and more serious heart-related diseases along with other complications of high blood pressure. Fatty deposits build-up in the arteries can cause an abnormal increase in your blood pressure, which causes the heart to extra work by pumping harder in order to supply enough blood to other parts of the body. This extra work will cause the heart muscle to enlarge and weaken. High blood pressure if left untreated will result to heart failure, even death.

So how do we make sense of these numbers? A good blood pressure reading is usually given out like a fraction number. The top number refers to the systolic pressure, which basically denotes the pressure inside a person’s blood vessel, while the figure on the bottom is known as the diastolic pressure, which basically measures the blood pressure when the heart is at rest in between heart beats. As mentioned earlier, the good blood pressure is 120/80, and if the range goes up between 120/80 to 139/89, it is then considered as a prehypertension state.

However, it doesn’t actually mean that if your blood pressure result is over 120/80, you are already hypertensive. Usually, you doctor will monitor your blood pressure within a given period of time. This is done to effectively determine your average blood pressure. Also, this is to consider the fact that blood pressure is affected by several factors such as body posture, tension, sleeping patterns, physical activities, smoking, etc…

It has been known that one of the leading causes of death is related to heart diseases, including high blood pressure. Not to mention that this condition is a silent killer. Therefore, if you think you have or are diagnosed with this high blood pressure, seek immediate medical advice to maintain a good blood pressure. There are actually available treatments to regulate high blood pressure. A change of lifestyle, regular exercise, and keeping a healthy diet can greatly help in regulating your blood pressure.

Adults in their 30s and 40s should make sure their blood pressures are checked regularly. As they say, early prevention is always better that cure. This is definitely the case if you look forward to enjoying life to the fullest and maintaining good blood pressure.

Julie Wilkinson writes about health-related conditions. To learn more about blood pressure remedies, visit her website to get additional helpful information on high blood pressure.