There are a lot of things that have an impact on blood pressure. This is why the normal blood pressure range is pretty fluid overall. Nevertheless, it is still important to be aware of your readings and to know when these are moving into the dangerous zone, which is high blood pressure that affects cardiovascular health and increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. Luckily, it is always possible to take action to try to get back into the normal blood pressure range.
Understanding Blood Pressure:
A blood pressure reading consists of a systolic and diastolic number. This can be measured in a variety of ways, with some physicians preferring mercury readings and others preferring kilopascal readings. Either way, modern equipment tends to be electronic, which gives the most accurate readings.
The systolic value is obtained when the heart’s left ventricle contracts, placing maximum pressure on the artery. The diastolic reading is the lowest level of pressure as it is taken after the heart contracts. If you were to take ten readings in ten minutes, they would all be different. In fact, they fluctuate from one heartbeat to the next. They are also influenced by emotions, activity levels, and nutrition.
When physicians notice that your readings are outside of the normal blood pressure range, they are likely to ask you to return several times and each time a measurement is made. This will demonstrate whether you are consistently out of the norm, which could indicate that you have hypertension. Hypertension is indicated if your blood pressure is consistently higher than 120/80.
Hypertension Stages:
There are a number of stages of hypertension and the stage you are in will dictate the treatment that you need to receive. The higher your reading, the more treatment you will need in order to control your blood pressure. When you have high blood pressure, you will be at significant risk of blood and cardiovascular problems, including a heart attack or stroke.
Stage 1 – when your readings are between 140/90 and 159/99. Making some healthy lifestyle changes and perhaps a short course of medication are usually enough to get you back to the normal blood pressure range. You are unlikely to need long term medication.
Stage 2 – when your readings are over 160/100. It is important that your pressure is reduced quickly at this stage. Your physician is likely to offer you a course of medication to achieve this. Once you reach more acceptable levels, you may have to continue to take your medication until it can be established that you are staying in the safe range.
As you can see, your blood pressure readings will determine the type of treatment you will receive. Remember that the higher your blood pressure, the more likely you are to develop complications. This is not something you can address some other time, but rather something you must look into straight away. High blood pressure is one of the major silent killers during our time, and one that must be stopped.
