It is not uncommon for your blood pressure to go high occasionally however, it is persistently high blood pressure that is a concern. People with high blood pressure are also more likely to develop high cholesterol, kidney and eye problems, and have poor circulation in the legs and feet. It also causes the heart to enlarge and weaken because it essentially wears itself out from having to work so hard to push blood around the body. If high blood pressure is left untreated, it can damage the blood vessels and increase a person’s risk of having a stroke or a heart attack. Sometimes people may develop a headache or feel unwell however, most do not connect these vague symptoms as having to do with their heart. Most people experience no symptoms when their blood pressure is high. What are the symptoms of high blood pressure? If the first number is above 130 or the second number is above 80 then a person is said to have high blood pressure.
Ideally, everybody’s blood pressure should be below 130/80 mm Hg. Most experts consider a normal blood pressure to be 120/80 mm Hg. It is recorded while the blood pressure cuff is deflating. This measures the resting pressure when the heart relaxes between heartbeats. The second recording is called diastolic pressure.During this measurement, the blood pressure cuff inflates to a certain extent and records what pressure around the arm stops blood flow. It can indicate how flexible or stiff the blood vessels are. The first recording is called the systolic pressure and it measures the force the heart must pump against to get blood to flow around the body.If their heart is having to work very hard to pump blood around their body, then their blood pressure will be high.īlood pressure is composed of two measurements. If their heart and blood vessels are working efficiently, then their blood pressure will be normal or slightly below normal. Measuring somebody's blood pressure gives us an indication of how effectively their heart is working to pump blood around their body. High blood pressure is also called hypertension. High blood pressure is a term that is used to acknowledge that a person’s blood pressure is above what is considered normal.