High blood pressure (hypertension) contributes to heart attack, stroke, congestive heart failure and peripheral vascular disease. What is a blood pressure reading? We’ve all experienced having our blood pressure checked; while sitting in our doctor’s office or clinic, the nurse checks our blood pressure. She puts the cuff around an arm, pumps up the pressure and listens with a stethoscope to the sounds—or maybe you’ve had your blood pressure checked by a machine. Either way, the numbers mean something.
Blood pressure is expressed by two numbers: 120/80. In this case, 120, the top number called systolic pressure measures the heart during work (squeezing blood out to the body). The bottom number, 80 is called diastolic and measures the heart at rest when it is refilling with blood.
A blood pressure of 160/90 requires the heart and blood vessels to work harder than a normal blood pressure (below 120/80). The higher a person’s blood pressure, the greater the risks for that person. Uncontrolled High blood pressure quietly damages a person’s heart, kidneys, brain and other vital organs. A blood pressure under 120/80 is optimal (normal). A blood pressure consistently higher than 120/80 is called high blood pressure. A person who deals with high blood pressure (like my husband) can improve his health by working with his doctor and adding some healthy lifestyle behaviors such as losing weight, adding exercise to his day and learning to handle stresses better..
Now, a quote for you to think about: “One way to get high blood pressure is to go mountain climbing over molehills.” Earl Wilson, A Klein, The Simplify-Your-Life Quote Book, (New York: Random House, 2005), 34. A person who mountain climbs over molehills may benefit from stress-reduction activities.
Tomorrow I talk about blood sugar levels as a heart risk factor.
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