Blood Pressure
Nearly half of American adults have high blood pressure (also referred to as HBP or hypertension). Even more alarming is the fact that many of these adults are not aware they have high blood pressure. Most of the time, high blood pressure has no obvious symptoms to indicate that something is wrong, even though it is slowly causing major damage within the body. Often referred to as the “silent killer”, undetected and uncontrolled high blood pressure is very dangerous to an individual’s health.
Since high blood pressure often has no obvious symptoms, the only way to know if you have high blood pressure is to have it checked. Blood pressure checks can be done at your medical provider’s office, but they can also be done at home with a simple at-home blood pressure device. In addition, many pharmacies have automatic blood pressure machines that you can use free of charge. Regularly checking your blood pressure is the first step in making sure your blood pressure is in a safe range.
What is high blood pressure? It is when the force of your blood pushing against the walls of your blood vessels is too high. While everyone’s blood pressure goes up and down throughout the day, having blood pressure that is consistently too high makes your heart work harder, damages the delicate tissue on the inside of your blood vessels, and ultimately can lead to many health issues such as heart attack, stroke, vision loss, kidney failure, and sexual dysfunction.
Blood pressure is measured by two numbers, such as 112/78 mm Hg. The first number is your systolic blood pressure, which is how much pressure your blood is exerting against your artery walls when the heart beats. The second number is your diastolic blood pressure, which is how much pressure your blood is exerting against your artery walls when the heart is resting between beats.
Normal blood pressure for adults is defined as less than 120/80 mm Hg. Blood pressure between 120-129 systolic and below 80 diastolic is Elevated Blood Pressure. High Blood Pressure is anything over 130/80 mm Hg. While many of you may still recall high blood pressure as anything over 140/90 mm Hg, new guidelines were released in 2017, which lowered the diagnosis of high blood pressure to anything higher than 130/80 mm Hg, as it remains today.
Many actions can be taken to help keep your blood pressure under control, such as healthy eating, physical activity, limiting alcohol consumption, reducing salt intake, and not using tobacco. However, the most important first step is to start regularly checking your blood pressure so you are aware of your numbers and can make a plan to reduce your risk. Start today by making a plan to measure your blood pressure, either by scheduling an appointment, stopping by the pharmacy, ordering a device for your home, or even stopping by a friend’s house to use their at-home blood pressure device. Do not wait for “the silent killer” to catch up with you!
Jackson County: Healthy People, Strong Community.
