Odds are you know that your blood pressure is important and that you should be keeping it within a healthy range.
But beyond that, what do you really know about your blood pressure? It can be hard to know what questions to ask, especially when you’re just learning about managing your own blood pressure.
Here are the answers to the questions you forgot to ask, were afraid to ask, or didn’t know to ask.
What is high blood pressure (aka Hypertension)?
Anything above 120 systolic and 80 diastolic is considered outside of the healthy zone for blood pressure measurements.
Even within those parameters, there’s a range of healthy (and unhealthy readings). For example, your diastolic could be less than 80, but if your systolic is higher than 120 your blood pressure is outside of healthy levels.
Read more about Hypertension here.
How do you feel when you have high blood pressure?
When it comes to the physical symptoms of high blood pressure, we have some good news – there are no symptoms.
We also have some bad news – there are no symptoms.
That means the only way to know if your blood pressure is at a healthy level is to have it checked at regular medical checkups or as often as your doctor recommends using a home blood pressure monitor.
I never had high blood pressure before. Why do I suddenly have it now?
For most, high blood pressure, or primary hypertension, is something that develops over years. There’s no easily identifiable single cause because it’s an accumulation of many different factors.
In some cases, high blood pressure can come on suddenly as secondary hypertension. This form of hypertension has an underlying cause such as sleep apnea, kidney problems, adrenal gland tumors, or thyroid problems.
This may sound scary, but the good news is that treating the condition can help to reduce your blood pressure.
How can you lower your blood pressure immediately?
There’s no “instant cure” for high blood pressure, but there are little things you can do to lower your blood pressure naturally without medication.
Your doctor will likely recommend that you first attempt to correct hypertension by making lifestyle changes. Simple, common sense changes can have a big impact on your blood pressure, like the following things:
- Improving your Diet
- Getting more exercise
- Changing your sleep habits
- Reducing salt intake
As always, the best source for information regarding your blood pressure is your doctor. Asking the right questions can help you and your doctor work together to keep you and your heart healthy.