Known as the “silent killer” high blood pressure plays a major role in overall cardiovascular health. According to the American Heart Association, people with high blood pressure die an average of 5 years earlier than those with normal blood pressure.
What is Blood Pressure?
Blood pressure is amount of force in the arteries when the heart beats and relaxes. A blood pressure reading is comprised of two components, a systolic (top) and diastolic (bottom) number. The systolic number represents the pressure when the heart beats and the diastolic when the heart relaxes. A sample blood pressure reading would be 120/80, systolic/diastolic, measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). Any medical professional should be able to check your blood pressure and, fortunately, hypertension is remarkably easy to diagnose.
What is Normal Blood Pressure?
The Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure established the following guidelines for interpreting your blood pressure readings. Keep in mind that abnormally low blood pressure should receive medical attention and that the standards for children are different.
| Blood Pressure Classification | Systolic Blood Pressure (mm Hg) | Diastolic Blood Pressure (mm Hg) |
| Normal | < 120 | and <80 |
| Prehypertension | 120-129 | or 80-89 |
| Stage 1 Hypertension | 140-159 | or 90-99 |
| Stage 2 hypertension | 160 or greater | or 100 or greater |
What are the Symptoms of High Blood Pressure?
There are usually no symptoms to indicate that you have high blood pressure! Excessive sweating, nervousness, high cholesterol and difficulty sleeping are not evidence of high blood pressure. You may have high blood pressure and these other problems, but one is not a sign of the other. The only way to know if you have high blood pressure is to have it checked by a medical professional.
Why does My Blood Pressure Fluctuate?
Changes in your emotional state, physical activity and environmental conditions result in natural blood pressure variances throughout the day. The American Heart Association recommends taking your blood pressure at the same time every day over a period of time to get an accurate reading and minimize the effects of external factors.
In general, blood pressure rises during physical activity, when it is cold, or when you are feeling stressed, startled or afraid. A small group of people suffer from “white coat hypertension” and their blood pressure rises as a result of their anxiety related to going to the doctor’s office. This group often benefits from monitoring their blood pressure at home.
Can I Cure High Blood Pressure?
At this time, there is no cure for high blood pressure, only treatments. All lifestyle changes, FDA approved medications and therapies must be taken and practiced without ceasing. Be extremely leery of anyone who promises a cure to hypertension.
