When to worry about your blood pressure?

As we get older, our bodies start to act like those old ticking clocks that no one uses anymore. Everything inside your body ticks and starts making noise overworked engine of a car on the highway. One such biological process is blood pressure regulation. Blood pressure is the force with which blood pushes against the walls of arteries as it circulates throughout your body (don’t underestimate its power).

Keeping an eye on your blood pressure can help you understand how healthy you are, but when should you start worrying about it? In this article, we will discuss everything related to “when” starting from what’s normal and abnormal ranges up till every symptom that says pay attention soldier.

Normal Range of Blood Pressure

Let’s gauge first what’s considered normal/healthy so that later we’ll know if something goes wrong or not. Blood pressure readings consist of two values; systolic and diastolic pressures measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg).

  • Systolic measures the highest level for each heartbeat.
  • Diastolic measures the lowest level between beats (resting phase).

A range between 90/60 mmHg up until 120/80 mmHg gets stamped as “normal” bp by doctors worldwide (you’re good if you’re within these limits baby).

What Is High Blood Pressure?

High blood pressure(hypertension) ranges vary from mild-to-extreme depending upon how much elevated they’re above normal levels. Anyone who sees an elevation in their bp levels ought to be concerned because high blood sugar leads to several illnesses including:

  • Heart attack
  • Kidney disease
  • Atherosclerosis
  • Stroke

Generally speaking, a reading consistently above 140/90mm Hg may indicate high BP BUT someone already diagnosed with hypertension requires tighter regualtion than others (/someone more likely to have a heart attack than Kim Kardashian’s twitter account getting hacked).

Symptoms of High Blood Pressure

It is important to note that hypertension doesn’t have significant symptoms until it reaches its extreme levels. Routine monitoring especially for those with family history, aged above 40 or overweight can help timely detection.

Following are some visible minor signs indicative of high blood pressure:

  • Headaches
  • Shortness of breath
  • Chest pain/Heart Palpitations
  • Dizziness (Houston this isn’t good)
  • Vision issues (i.e., blurriness)

Severe headache, nausea & vomiting accompanied by confusion and seizures indicate emergency situations when someone must take medication immediately (no excuses)

Types Of Hypertension

There exist two types of hypertension: primary and secondary; Primary means the cause is unknown whereas secondary hypertension owes something to pre-existing conditions like diseases or unhealthy lifestyle habits such as smoking & drinking alcohol (We’re not judging but…). One should undergo routine checkups if they’re at risk for these conditions (Don’t be oblivious dude) in order to keep an eye out for high bp onset.

Understanding Low Blood Pressure

Low blood pressure has similar risks associated with it as high BP i.e stroke,heart failure etc. While previously considered sufficient only because there were no elevated readings on either systolic or diastolic endings(doesn’t mean you get a free pass), doctors recently pointed out even lower ranges which now make your low BP questionable signals like munchkin saying ”I’ll never go back..the grass was brown “.

When Should You Worry?

Now comes the juicy stuff so let’s shed light upon WHEN it becomes alarming while keeping in mind individual differences and health status.
Remember normal range definition earlier? Here’s the deal: Anything below 90/60 mmHg counts as hypotensive cue dramatic music!. Consider visiting a doctor if any of the following happen (warning signs are blinking dude):

  • Persistent low readings
  • Dizziness/Mood Swings/Confusion
  • Fainting/sudden sweating
  • Rapid breathing/Pain in the chest

Likewise, hypotension also takes form with reduced blood flow as a result of standing and feels pretty similar to vertigo. Women have reported more benign situations due to this activity – but even then it doesn’t indicate being safe.

When To Seek A Doctor’s Expertise

Even without severe symptoms, one must seek guidance immediately while experiencing slowly-developing symptoms i.e tiredness/weakness/not feeling like yourself. Especially if your bp levels tend to violently fluctuate all over the reading chart or you’re consistently below 90 on either side (this ain’t bluffing… no matter what card game says).

So getting that fancy device isn’t useless after all huh? Talking about medication aids us here too; keep track of your medications side effects including any affecting BP ranges (Goodluck Donut boy/girl!).

Prevention is Better Than Cure

Always better prepared than sorry so, preventive measures top lists of successful comedies. Mindful consumption habits particularly for sodium intake should become routine. The American Heart Association suggests no more than 2,300 mg/day whereas scientific research discourages consumption higher than 1,500mg because both high sodium & sugar mean high pressure (#relationshipGoals).

Incorporate healthy food items into meal plans such as nuts/fish/fruits which promote good cholesterol and prevent conditions related to high pressures. Exercise regimes caters towards weight management leading automatically towards regulation along with relaxation techniques such as yoga adding bonus points for stress reduction (Win-Win situation here). Getting enough sleep does not only reduce pressure levels but also decrease susceptibility throughout their lives toward several psychosomatic issues.

Tips & Tricks for Monitoring Blood Pressure

Taking care of physical health does not require much effort but minor consistencies often lead to a happy life.
Following are the tips & tricks you need to know first hand for effective monitoring at home.

  1. Routine Monitoring: Once in 6 months or as suggested by the doctor
  2. Smart Devices: Investing into smart monitors linked with smartphone applications can help track progress better and create feedback loops about different variables affecting peaks/troughs.
  3. Exercise Routines: Mild-to-moderate-intensity exercises cater towards a boosted heart rate, resulting in healthy bp. (No pain no gain?)
  4. Mindful Practices – Yoga/Mediation which cater to reducing chronic stress effects on pressure levels [](Get flexy!)
  5. Regard Your Medications- Follow doses diligently, record side-effects bodily responses (Just like how you keep track of your social media likes…right?)
  6. Response patterns? Look for when it is rising/dropping, especially if someone requires strict regulation through self-determination.

Conclusion

In conclusion; tick-tock goes time, keeping an eye out ()every now and then(“ha hisss”) isn’t such a bad idea! Blood Pressure level indicators may vary per person due to several external or internal factors but switching over towards prevention instead of cure will only solidify every cardiac conversations.

Cardiac Arrest

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