Do You Suffer from High Blood Pressure?

April 21,2016

Blood pressure is the force of blood against your artery walls as it circulates through your body. This pressure normally rises and falls throughout the day. Certain medical conditions and diseases can cause your blood pressure to stay higher than normal for longer periods of time. If left untreated, this can lead to heart disease, stroke or other medical conditions.

It is estimated that 67 million Americans (about one in three) have high blood pressure. Many people fail to recognize that they have high blood pressure as it usually has no symptoms or warning signs. Although there are uncontrollable factors, such as age, sex or ethnicity, anyone can work to control your blood pressure by eating healthy, being physically active and not smoking.

Using a blood pressure gauge, a doctor can measure your blood pressure. An inflatable cuff is wrapped around your arm and inflated to squeeze the blood vessels below the surface. By listening with a stethoscope as the air is slowly released, a healthcare provider can determine the pressure on your heart beat (systolic) as well as when it rests (diastolic).

Normal blood pressure readings would be a systolic number of less than 120 mmHg (millimeters of mercury) and a diastolic number of less than 80 mmHg. You are considered to have pre-hypertension (be at risk) if your systolic number is 120 to 139 mmHg or your diastolic number is 80 to 89 mmHg. A systolic number higher than 140 mmHg or a diastolic number higher than 90 mmHg would mean that your blood pressure is High.

To help maintain a normal blood pressure or to lower your risk of developing heart disease or stroke, it is important to maintain a healthy lifestyle. This includes not smoking or quitting smoking, limiting your consumption of alcohol, eating right and exercising to maintain a healthy weight, and managing any contributing condition, such as diabetes. To learn more about preventing or living with high blood pressure, call today and let the friendly staff at PrimeMED in Jacksonville take care of your medical needs.