Hypertension. Keep a check on your BP

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What is blood pressure

Blood pressure is the amount of force your blood applies to your arteries. When your heart contracts to force blood around your body, it forces more blood into your arteries, the more blood there is in one space the greater the pressure it is under. When this pressure is at its peak, this is the systlic blood pressure and when your heart is at rest this is the diastolic blood pressure.

Dangers of high Hypertension

If you suffer from hypertension (high blood pressure) you are at risk of many serious illness's which are potentially fatal. Hypertension can lead to strokes, heart desease, angina, vascular problems, eye problems and others.

Causes and diagnosis of hypertension

There are two types of hypertension, primary and secondary. Primary hypertension can be caused by stress, poor diet, drinking alcohol, drugs and being overweight. Secondary hypertension can be caused by narrowing of major arteries, kidney and other deseases.
Most people are unaware of having high blood pressure until most of the damage is done, that is why it is important to check your blood pressure regularly especialy for the over 40's and other high risk groups (overweight, bad diet, smokers, family history). you can check your blood pressure by visiting you GP, by attending well men/women clinics or buying a home blood pressure monitor.

Checking your blood pressure

There are several devices available to check your BP, the sphygonometer upper arm cuff, wraps around your arm and is then inflated until the pressure is equal to the systolic BP, at which point ciculation to the lower arm will stop, this method requires some degree of expertise to master, the better option is to buy an electronic monitor that automatically inflates and measures your BP ( Buying a BP monitor). When measuring your blood pressure don't be alarmed if you get different readings at different times of the day or on different days, this is fairly normal and you should take several readings to get an average over a period of time.

What the systolic and diastolic readings mean

If you are worried about you BP, please consult your GP.