- What is Blood Pressure?
- How is it measured?
- Types
- Hypertension-Causes, Risk factors & Prevention
What is Blood Pressure (BP) ?
Blood Pressure is the force applied by your heart to pump blood into the circulatory system (arteries) to transport Oxygen and Nutrients to the whole body. Blood circulation is a vital activity to survive. Many systems of the body, including organs, hormones, and nerves, regulate blood pressure.
How it is measured?
The standard Mercury method is the accurate way to gauge the pressure, the same method used in medicine today for Blood Pressure, and the unit is ‘mm Hg’. Blood Pressure measured in the two figures.
- Systolic pressure – the pressure when your heart pumps blood out
- Diastolic pressure – the pressure when your heart rests between pumping in this period hearts fills the blood and gets Oxygen.
For example, if your blood pressures are “135/85 mmHg”, it means you have a systolic pressure of 135mmHg and a diastolic pressure of 85mmHg.
As a general guide:
- ideal blood pressure in human body is considered to be between 90/60mmHg and 120/80mmHg
- high blood pressure or hypertension is considered to be 140/90mmHg or higher
- low blood pressure or hypotension is considered to be 90/60mmHg or lower
Types:
Blood pressure mainly categorized into three levels: Normal, High and Low. These are the ways blood can push forcefully against your arteries as your heart pumps.
People usually unable to find high blood pressure as it is not having any warning signs or symptoms. Measure your blood pressure regularly to find out high blood pressure.
Low blood pressure is less common does not always cause symptoms. See below the detailed classification of BP.
Look at below figures for your systolic blood pressure.
- Normal: Below 120
- Elevated: 120 to129
- Stage 1 High Blood Pressure or Hypertension: 130 to139
- Stage 2 Hypertension: 140 or more
- Hypertensive crisis: 180 or more. It’s an emergency.
Diastolic blood pressure figures mean:
- Normal: Less than 80
- Stage 1 hypertension: 80 to 89
- Stage 2 hypertension: 90 or more
- Hypertensive crisis: 120 or more. Emergency.
Hypertension - Causes, Risk factors & Prevention
High blood pressure or Hypertension is often linked to unhealthy lifestyle habits, such as smoking, consuming too much alcohol, being overweight and no physical activity or not exercising enough.
High blood pressure can seriously hurt important organs like your brain, heart, kidneys and eyes. Hypertension may lead to a life emergency or kill you.
Other Risk factors:
- Age: Age increases, blood pressure increases steadily as the arteries stiffen and narrow. Hypertension is more common in older people.
- Ethnicity: Some ethnic groups are more prone to hypertension than others. For example, African Americans have a higher risk than other ethnic groups due to their body size and weight (overweight or obese).
- Sex: A study reveals that men have a higher risk of developing hypertension than females (before menopause).
- Existing health conditions: Cardiovascular disease, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, and high cholesterol levels can lead to hypertension.
Prevention:
You can reduce hypertension by changing your lifestyle habits in many cases and additionally may require medication.
- Do regular exercise
- Manage your stress
- Take healthy food with less salt and limit your alcohol consumption.
- Manage your weight
- Medication
Hypotension- Causes & Prevention
Hypotension is another name for low blood pressure. Low blood pressure does not cause problems or symptoms in healthy people. It is normal for them. For example, people who exercise regularly often have a lower blood pressure than people who are not as fit.
Blood pressure varies from one person to another. A drop as little as 20 mmHg, can cause problems for some people.
What Causes Hypotension?
below are the some of the causes.
- Medicines, such as high blood pressure medicine or other heart medicines.
- Health problems such as thyroid disease, severe infection, bleeding in the intestines, or heart problems.
- prolonged bed rest
- pregnancy
- Not drinking enough fluids (dehydration).
- Trauma, such as major bleeding or severe burns.
- Getting up after you sit or lie down. This can cause a quick drop in blood pressure called orthostatic hypotension. And standing for a long time.
For many people, low blood pressure goes unnoticed. Others feel dizzy, light-headed or faint, confused, more thirsty, tired or weak. You may have blurry vision, a headache, neck or back pain, nausea, or heart palpitations. If it happens for long time , it can cause serious problem like shock, stroke, heart attack and kidney failure.
Prevention:
There are many natural ways and lifestyle changes to raise your blood pressure listed below.
- Increase sodium(salt) intake to raise your blood pressure.
- Limit your alcohol consumption, alcohol lowers your blood pressure further.
- Your low blood pressure result from medication, consult a doctor.
- Drink enough water or fluids to avoid dehydration.
- Make a habit of cross legs while sitting that improves your blood pressure.
- Avoid sudden position changes to overcome low blood pressure.
- Eat frequently in small quantity.