How Much Do You Know About Blood Pressure?

What exactly is blood pressure?

Arteries carry blood from your heart to the rest of the body, and the "pressure" is the force of the blood against artery walls. Blood is pumped out of the heart into the arteries each time the heart beats, at which time your blood pressure is at its highest. This is referred to as systolic pressure. Your blood pressure falls when the heart is resting between beats, and this is referred to as diastolic pressure.

Your blood pressure is made up of both the systolic (top) and diastolic (bottom) pressure numbers, for example 100/70.

When you are awake and standing still or not being active, your blood pressure usually remains the same. Anything above 120/80 is considered high, because your heart has to work harder and you have a greater chance of a stroke or heart attack. Specifically, 120-139/80-89 is considered Pre-Hypertension, greater than 140/90 is Hypertension, 140-159/90-99 is Stage 1 Hypertension, and 160 or greater/100 or greater is Stage 2 Hypertension.

Fortunately, blood pressure can be lowered with lifestyle changes such as:

• Getting regular exercise
• Limiting alcohol
• Quitting smoking
• Reducing sodium intake
• Eating a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and low in saturated fat

Sometimes drugs are used to treat high blood pressure, including beta-blockers, diuretics, calcium channel blockers, receptor blockers and more.

Once your blood pressure has been regulated, you should still visit your doctor every few months to make sure that things are still under control.  Ultimately, the only way to find out if you have high blood pressure is to have it checked regularly--this way, you can find out if you need to correct any potential problems before they get too serious.