Blood Pressure
Blood pressure is the pressure of our blood, which is in the blood vessels. It is necessary for the blood circulation. Our blood pressure is responsible for our heart activities and for our blood to flow through the blood vessels to our organs and tissues. Healthy and normal blood pressure is vital. The rhythmic pumping of the heart and the resistance of our vessel walls is what we understand by the word blood pressure. Best of all, you can measure and control it.
How to measure blood pressure correctly
To improve your blood pressure and your quality of life, you need to understand how your heart and body works. As the heart muscle contracts and blood dribbles through your veins, your arteries will produce higher blood pressure. When you relax, the heart muscle relaxes and the heart refills with blood, the blood pressure goes down. We measure two blood pressure values:
● systolic (when the heart contracts) and
● diastolic (when the heart relaxes).
Adults should have a blood pressure of 120 mmHg to 80 mmHg. These levels may vary depending on physical stress, mental arousal, coffee consumption, or other factors. However, if yours is too high or too low, it is important to have your doctor check you with blood pressure. Too high values are also called hypertension and this is a serious illness.
How to know if your blood pressure is abnormal
Most people who suffer from hypertension do not notice their illness at first. Hypertension causes little discomfort for those affected over a long period of time. Nevertheless, there are some symptoms that indicate the disease. People with low blood pressure often feel tired and depressed. The most common symptoms of high blood pressure are dizziness, headache, shortness of breath or nervousness. If you have noticed some of these symptoms with yourself, you should consult a doctor and have your blood pressure checked.
Risks of high and low blood pressure
Too high or too low blood pressure is always an indication that your body is not feeling well. One of the reasons for this may be a heart failure that involves some risks. Hypertension may also indicate kidney disease or arteriosclerosis, or may cause sequelae that can be serious. In both cases there is an urgent need for action to relieve the cardiovascular system again and to increase the quality of life.
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High blood pressure: hypertension
People who have high blood pressure have a very high risk of getting a heart attack or stroke. Common sequelae include heart failure, atrial fibrillation, valvular heart failure or heart muscle inflammation. In most cases, the main reason for high blood pressure is an unhealthy lifestyle with lack of exercise, stress, and unhealthy diet.
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Low blood pressure: hypotension
On the contrary, low blood pressure may be a sign of circulatory weakness. Hypotension is usually not a disease. Low pressure in the blood vessels protects heart and circulation. But if the blood pressure is permanently too low, it can also have consequences: too low blood pressure can cause dizziness, fatigue and cold hands and feet. In order to improve it, you need to take action.
What to do when having high blood pressure
In order to stabilize and improve your blood pressure value, various activities can be undertaken. Medication can help lower your blood pressure temporarily. However, it is not a sustainable solution to combat the disease, because drugs do not fight the cause, but only the symptoms. In the long term, it is healthier for your body - and also cheaper - if you permanently improve your lifestyle and start to listen to your body and its needs more. With a healthy diet and regular exercise, you not only increase your lung capacity, but also stimulate your organs to work more effectively again. A diet and weight loss can relieve the cardiovascular system.
Cora wants to help you with this. In our blood pressure guide, you will learn how to live healthy and happy and how to better understand your body:
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