Those of us that suffer from coronary heart disease will be quite used to having our blood pressure taken. However, if your experience of doctors is similar to mine you will not have been told what the term "Blood Pressure" actually means. Along with this, we may be told some numbers such as 120 over 80 (120/80) when the measurement is taken but no explanation is gives as to what these numbers mean. Well, I wondered what these terms all mean and so I took the time to find out.
Blood Pressure
When the pressure of your blood is measured, the doctor is looking at the pressure of the blood as it passes through your arteries. This is similar to water passing through the pipes in your kitchen to the taps, without some pressure the water will not move. It's just the same with your blood, without the heart pushing the blood (by creating some pressure) it will not circulate round your body. Think of your heart as a pump, when the heart contracts it forces the pressure of the blood up and when it relaxes the pressure of the blood drops back. This happens with every beat your heart takes, with the pressure rising to a maximum and then falling to a minimum level. The maximum pressure is called Systolic Pressure and the minimum is called Diasystolic Pressure. These pressures are given as two numbers, with the highest (systolic) given first. Ideally your blood pressure should be below 140/85, but if you have had a heart attack, suffer from coronary heart disease or are diabetic then it should be below 130/80.
High Blood Pressure
When the pressure of the blood is high it is called Hypertension, which is another medical term that my doctors have used without explaining what it is. This means that your pressure is above the recommended level and that something will have to be done to lower it. The worrying thing about having high blood pressure is that you may feel fine and you will not know it is high until the doctor actually measures it. However, high pressure can put you at an increased risk of suffering a stroke or a heart attack. It can be caused by using too much salt on your food, lack of exercise, excessive drinking of alcohol, being overweight and failing to follow a healthy diet.
How to lower your blood pressure
This calls for some lifestyle changes such as taking more exercise, cutting down on salt, reducing your alcohol intake, reducing your weight and following a healthy diet. Your doctor may also prescribe some medication to help lower your blood pressure, but these lifestyle changes will give you the most benefit.
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