What is high blood pressure?
High blood pressure (hypertension) means your blood is pumping through the arteries at a greater force than is healthy. The pressure causes damage to your arteries and poses a serious risk to your health.
Unfortunately, high blood pressure doesn’t cause any symptoms, which means you may not know you have it unless you have your blood pressure checked regularly at Sahni Heart Center.
Knowing what your blood pressure measurement is could save your life since untreated high blood pressure can cause life-threatening conditions like stroke, heart attack, and kidney failure.
How is blood pressure measured?
Having a blood pressure measurement is a fast, straightforward process. Dr. Sahni wraps a blood pressure cuff around your upper arm, then inflates it. One reading records the pressure when your heart is beating (systolic pressure), and another records pressure between heartbeats (diastolic pressure).
The two numbers combined are your blood pressure reading. A healthy reading measures 120 or below systolic, 80 or below diastolic. A blood pressure reading between 121 and 139 systolic or 81 and 89 diastolic indicates raised blood pressure. If you have raised blood pressure, it’s vital to take action before it becomes a more serious problem.
A reading over 140 systolic or over 90 diastolic means you have high blood pressure, and your health is at risk. If you don’t take action, you’re risking your long-term health.
If your blood pressure measures over 160 systolic or 100 diastolic, it’s dangerously high, meaning you’re at serious risk of having a stroke or heart attack.
How do I reduce my high blood pressure?
High blood pressure can develop because of a chronic health problem like thyroid dysfunction. These cases are known as secondary hypertension, and treating the underlying disease should improve your blood pressure readings.
Primary hypertension occurs when there isn’t an underlying cause and is most often due to your lifestyle. Some of the most common factors likely to increase your blood pressure include:
- Obesity
- Smoking
- Inactivity
- High-fat diet
- Excess salt intake
- Excessive alcohol consumption
- Chronic stress
Making changes to your lifestyle can be a very effective way of reducing high blood pressure. Dr. Sahni can advise you on the changes you need to make to lower your blood pressure to a healthier level.
Dr. Sahni might also recommend you take blood pressure medication to lower your blood pressure if your hypertension is putting you in danger. You could need tests to check your heart health, too, such as:
- ECG (electrocardiogram)
- Echocardiogram
- Doppler ultrasound
You can avoid the deadly effects of high blood pressure by visiting Sahni Heart Center for a blood pressure check. Call the office nearest you today, or book online for an appointment at the Clark, New Jersey, office.
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