Hypertension

Hypertension or high blood pressure is a common diagnosis across the world.  It is basically when the blood flowing through your veins is more forceful than it should be. The force can damage the inner walls of your arteries and make your heart beat too hard.

A normal blood pressure reading is less than 120/80.

The top number is for systolic pressure.  This measures the pressure in your arteries when your heart beats.

The bottom is for diastolic pressure. This measures the pressure in your arteries between heartbeats.

Due to genetics, you are at a higher risk to develop hypertension if a family member has it.  High blood pressure affects both men and women and it can occur at any age.

Some other risk factors include:

• Excessive alcohol consumption
• High sodium diet
• Little or no physical activity
• Obesity
• Smoking
• Stress
• Insufficient sleep

Consequently, hypertension, if left untreated, can lead to a stroke as well as chronic kidney problems and of course other health problems.

The good news is that there are medications and treatments available to help. Likewise, we all need to do our part to lead a healthy lifestyle with a heart healthy diet and exercise.

Private Home Health Care knows that high blood pressure can appear without any symptoms.  We hope that you have health care professionals that can help you monitor this risky condition. 

#health