Blood Pressure

What is blood pressure?
Blood pressure, measured with a blood pressure cuff and stethoscope by a nurse or other healthcare provider, is the force of the blood pushing against the artery walls.

Each time the heart beats, it pumps blood into the arteries, resulting in the highest blood pressure as the heart contracts. One cannot take his own blood pressure without using an electronic blood-pressure-monitoring device. Electronic blood-pressure monitors  also measure the heart rate, or pulse.

Two numbers are recorded when measuring blood pressure. The higher number, or systolic pressure, refers to the pressure inside the artery when the heart contracts and pumps blood through the body. The lower number, or diastolic pressure, refers to the pressure inside the artery when the heart is at rest and is filling with blood.

Both the systolic and diastolic pressures are recorded as “mm Hg” (millimeters of mercury). This recording represents how high the mercury column is raised by the pressure of the blood.

These numbers should be used as a guide only. A single elevated blood pressure measurement is not necessarily an indication of a problem.

Your physician will want to see multiple blood pressure measurements over several weeks or months before making a diagnosis of hypertension (high blood pressure) and initiating treatment.

High blood pressure, or hypertension, directly increases the risk of coronary heart disease (heart attack) and stroke (brain attack). A good target blood pressure is 100–130 for your systolic (top number) and 60–80 for your diastolic (bottom number) reading.

How does blood pressure increase?
The following might contribute to an increase in blood pressure:

• Being overweight
• Excessive sodium intake
• A lack of exercise and physical activity
• Smoking
• Excessive caffeine intake

How is high blood pressure controlled?
Many people can control high blood pressure by:

• Choosing foods that are low in sodium (salt)
• Choosing foods low in calories and fat
• Choosing foods high in starch and fiber
• Maintaining a healthy weight, or losing weight if overweight
• Increasing physical activity
• Practicing moderation if consuming alcoholic beverages

However, others must take daily medication to control hypertension. People with hypertension should routinely have their blood pressure checked and be under the care of a physician.

Medications might be prescribed to keep your blood pressure regulated. It is important you take medications as prescribed by your doctor.