Hypertension guide

If you have been to a medical checkup before, the doctor may have checked your blood pressure. You know the numbers are important but do you understand what those numbers stand for? In this article, we are going to talk about what blood-pressure really is.
The first thing you need to know about blood pressure is what the numbers symbolize. For instance, the normal blood pressure is 120 over 80. The number 120 stands for the systolic pressure while the number 80 stands for the diastolic pressure. Systolic pressure is the pressure that results from the beating of the heart while diastolic pressure is the pressure that is generated when the heart relaxes.
Blood pressure is very important in monitoring your health. You need to determine whether you are at a risk when it comes to hypertension or hypotension. You know your blood pressure is in its normal state if your systole reading is less than 120 and your diastole reading is less than 80. If the numbers are higher, it may signal hypertension. You are at the pre-hypertension stage is you have systole and diastole readings between 120 and 139 and 80 and 89. If your systolic pressure is between 140 and 159 while your diastolic pressure is between 90 and 99, you are at the stage 1 of hypertension. If the numbers are higher than 180 and 110, you have a very serious case of hypertension.
How can you know if you have high blood pressure? The best thing that you can do is to go to your doctor and have it checked. You need to do this as early as 20 years old because high blood pressure does not choose ages. Do not worry though if your reading is high today because one occurrence will not mean a serious condition. However, if the readings are consistently high, you need to do something about it immediately.
How are you going to regulate your blood pressure? Here are some of the ways.
First, you need to reduce your weight. Obesity is one of the most common causes of high blood pressure. This is because fats can cling into the arterial walls and cause them to become less elastic. This will make it difficult for your arteries to expand whenever there is a surge of blood.
Second, you need to quit smoking. Smoking has a bad effect on your blood vessels because the nicotine in cigarettes makes the blood vessels rigid. If you quit smoking, your blood vessels will become healthy.
Third, you need to have a healthy lifestyle. It is very important to have an active lifestyle because when you exercise you body, your blood circulation improves. This means that all parts of your body will have sufficient amount of oxygen. When you exercise, you are also burning fats. This means that your body weight will be regulated and there will be a lower risk of fats clinging to your blood vessels blocking the passage of blood.