How Do I Know If I Have High Blood Pressure Symptoms?
Online, March 1, 2011 (Newswire.com) - Most people with high blood pressure don't have any symptoms, and consequently many remain unaware that their blood pressure is too high. High Blood Pressure Insider is a website uniquely dedicated to promoting a greater awareness of the need for regular blood pressure monitoring.
Blood carrying oxygen and nutrients is pumped around your body by your heart. The blood is under pressure as a result of the pumping action of your heart and the size and flexibility of your arteries, which carry the blood. This blood pressure is an essential part of the way your body works.
Adhering to a healthy lifestyle will prevent, or at least defer the onset of hypertension.
So how do you define a healthy lifestyle?
Well, always eat a healthy diet with plenty of fruit and vegetables, maintain a healthy weight, exercise regularly, drink alcohol in moderation and avoid smoking. A recent study even sugggested that having an afternoon nap can help protect you against high blood pressure.
High blood pressure does not usually cause any obvious symptoms, so you may not be aware that it's damaging your arteries, heart and other organs. As a result, it is known as the 'silent killer'.
You can get high blood pressure if the walls of your arteries lose their elasticity, become narrowed or contract too much, if your heart is pumping too much blood or if you have too much blood in circulation.
The only way to find out whether you have high blood pressure is to have your blood pressure checked regularly.
Symptoms can occur in rare cases where a person has a very high blood pressure level. Extreme high blood pressure symptoms may include:
* A headache
* Blurred or double vision
* Nosebleeds
* Fits or black-outs
* Shortness of breath
Visit your doctor as soon as possible if you have any of these symptoms.
You may not have any symptoms, so your doctor may only diagnose high blood pressure when your blood pressure is taken routinely as part of a medical examination. That's one very good reason to have a regular check-up, especially if you're over 40 years old.
Your blood pressure will be measured with a monitor called a sphygmomanometer. A cuff will be placed around your upper arm and this will inflate to a certain level before slowly deflating. The result is expressed as two numbers, such as 120/80mmHg (one hundred and twenty over eighty millimetres of mercury).The first figure - the systolic blood pressure - is a measure of the pressure when your heart muscle is contracted and pumping blood. This is the highest pressure in your blood vessels. The second figure - the diastolic blood pressure - is the pressure between heart beats when your heart is resting and filling with blood. This is the lowest pressure in your blood vessels.
The lower your blood pressure, the better for your health. Doctors recommend that your blood pressure is kept below 140/85. If you have diabetes or cardiovascular disease, your blood pressure should be lower than this - ideally less than 130/80. If your blood pressure is around this level, your doctor will probably want to monitor it.
If you register a high reading then you may be asked to come back for repeat measurements over a number of weeks before you're advised to have treatment. This is done to establish whether the high reading is an ongoing problem and not a one-off.
High Blood Pressure Insider is a website uniquely dedicated to promoting a more natural approach to the prevention of high blood pressure symptoms. It was created to educate people to manage their high blood pressure and enjoy the many benefits of a healthy heart.
Go to High Blood Pressure Insider to discover a more natural approach to the prevention of high blood pressure symptoms.
To learn more about High Blood Pressure Insider go to http://www.highbloodpressureinsider.org
