One of the first things a doctor does when you make an appointment is check your blood pressure. There’s a good reason for this. Both high and low blood pressure are serious health conditions that you need to treat.
If you don’t, it can cause further problems down the line. The question is, what is the average blood pressure reading supposed to be, and how do you keep it regulated?
How did you even develop this condition in the first place? We’ve got all the information that you could ever want to know. Keep reading to learn more about your blood pressure.
What Is Blood Pressure?
Before we talk about the health effects of high and low blood pressure, it’s a good idea to have a basic definition. It’s the measure of the pressure of the blood pressing against the walls of your arteries.
When your doctor gets a reading, it’s given to them in two numbers. The first is the systolic blood pressure. This is the pressure of your heart pushing out the blood.
The second number is the diastolic blood pressure. This is the pressure of your heart relaxing. The reading is displayed with one number over the other. The average for an adult is 120/80.
High Blood Pressure
Having high blood pressure is pretty common, but that doesn’t me that you should wave it off as nothing. If left unchecked, it can cause heart disease and other serious problems.
It’s such a big issue that your doctor may suggest that you take your own blood pressure at home to keep track of it. Many factors can contribute to this condition.
A lot of them are unavoidable. For example, your risk for high blood pressure goes up the older you get, and genetics play a key role as well.
Once you have a diagnosis, your doctor will prescribe medication and suggest that you make a few lifestyle changes. You’ll need to switch up your diet and incorporate exercise into your normal routine to control your weight.
Blood pressure and sodium aren’t friends, so you may have to cut back on your daily consumption of salt. You’ll have to learn relaxation techniques to cut back on stress too.
Low Blood Pressure
Some adults have the opposite problem, their blood pressure is way too low. If your reading comes out as 90/60, it’s time for you to chug some water.
One of the biggest causes of this condition is dehydration. Blood loss, medications, and certain diseases can play a role in it as well. You’ll need to give your doctor a complete list of your medications.
This way, they’ll know if one of them is causing the problem and can suggest alternatives. If you leave it unchecked, you’ll have horrible dizzy spells. You could even faint.
Keep These Blood Pressure Facts in Mind
If you have high blood pressure, you may not experience any problems at all. That doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t stay on top of it. Both high and low blood pressure are serious conditions.
Talk to your doctor today to ask about your treatment options, and check out the Health section of our blog to learn more about this common medical issue.