Stimulus from your body will create a change in your blood pressure. The interaction is complex and is between the kidneys, many different hormones, the nervous system, blood vessels, and the heart. There are many different circumstances that can lead to the change in stimulus and increase the blood pressure.
On the other hand your blood pressure can also be minimized by a decrease in stimuli. There are different classifications for the different levels of blood pressure. There are also levels of hypertension classification that will be explained throughout this article.
There are quite a few things that can cause a persons blood pressure to begin to rise. Generally, when you are relaxed your blood pressure is lower. For example, when you are sleeping the heart is not usually working as hard to pump the blood so the blood pressure is lower that when you are awake.
The reason the blood pressure is lower when you are resting is because your body does not require as much oxygen rich blood at those times. However, when you are awake and doing any type of exercise your body demands a higher oxygen level in the blood which increases the blood pressure.
As the blood pressure increases it poses strain on the arteries as well as the heart. This demands the heart to work much harder than it should have to. Over a period of time it is likely the heart will become enlarged to serve the purpose yet is fails to serve the purpose adequately.
It is important that you not only understand the importance of having your blood pressure monitored regularly but also you should understand how the blood pressure is measured.
As you might already know that your blood pressure is measured in mmHg, do you know what that actually means? It is fractions of millimeters of mercury. To measure this the doctor should use a device called sphygmomanometer, you might recognize the arm cuff and rubber ball that tightens the cuff around your arm.
There are two numbers that you will be told as a fraction. For example, 120 over 80, written 120/80mmHg. The first number refers to the systolic pressure. This is the pressure of the heart when it contracts each time to send the blood through your arteries.
The second number is called the diastolic pressure. This is when the heart is relaxed after pumping the blood to the arteries, when the heart is filling up with more blood to pump.
Now you might be thinking, “How do I know how severe my hypertension is?”, well to help you understand a little better we will break down the numbers a little more for you.
Hypertension Classification for Adults:
Normal
Systolic: Pre-Hypertension
Systolic: 120-139, Diastolic: 80-99
Stage One Hypertension
Systolic: 140-159, Diastolic: 90-99
Stage Two Hypertension
Systolic: 160+, Diastolic: 100+
If you have been diagnosed with hypertension it is not relevant how severe the hypertension is it can be successfully treated with lifestyle modifications and medication. However, it is important that you understand the hypertension classification you fall into. Be sure that you follow the directions of your doctor to avoid any unnecessary complications.
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