Blood Pressure: Why Is It So Important?

Almost 50% of adults in the U.S. have elevated blood pressure (hypertension). The problem is, not everyone knows they have it. Multiple factors can put you at risk of developing hypertension. It’s crucial that you learn to manage it if you want to live a healthy and productive life. This is a brief overview of what blood pressure is all about.

Blood Pressure Mechanism

Stable blood pressure is the key to supervising your general health state. The higher it is, the bigger the risks of experiencing health complications. The reason for that is relatively simple. All the oxygen and nutrients you receive pass through the blood. They reach the organs and help the heart and brain function properly. To figure out if you are experiencing high or low blood pressure, you will need to do a blood test. You must recognize when it is at a healthy range. You can do that by reading the diastolic and systolic pressures. Diastolic analyzes the heart force and artery walls between each heartbeat. While the systolic pressure analyzes the heart force and artery walls with each heartbeat. Take a look at the chart below.

Blood Pressure Levels	Systolic	Diastolic
Healthy	120 mm Hg or less	80 mm Hg or less
Increased	120 to 129 mm Hg	80 mm Hg or less
Stage 1: Hypertension	130 to 139 mm Hg	80 to 89 mm Hg
Stage 2: Hypertension	140 mm Hg or more	90 mm Hg or more

What Causes Hypertension?

People can experience two types of high blood pressure, primary and secondary hypertension. Each type comes with its own causes. It’s important that you recognize the causes and receive treatment if necessary. For primary hypertension, the most common factors are environment, genetic abnormalities, and drastic body fluctuations (like obesity, for example). While for secondary hypertension, the causes are often kidney disease, thyroid complications, substance abuse, heart defects, and sleep apnea.

Why Is It a Silent Killer?

In 2013, there were over 360,000 hypertension-related deaths in the U.S., published the FDA. The reason people call it the “silent killer” is because not everyone undergoes symptoms of hypertension. Therefore, they become susceptible to heart failure, cardiovascular disease, and other health problems.

Conclusion

Hypertension is hard to recognize. Especially if you don’t have any symptoms, but, with regular testing, people can avoid this problem and get on-time treatment. That’s why it’s necessary that you regularly check your blood pressure. Consult with your doctor if you notice any significant changes in your overall health.