Getting a regular check on it and a healthcare regime for keeping your blood (BP in short) in check seems to be on the kind of many adults who have crossed 40. And this habit is justified, since research suggests that advancing age generally leads to hypertension or high blood pressure. Research also states that one out of every 3 Americans are suffering from hypertension and ironically around 81.5 percent of this number do not even now. Now that we know the gravity of the situation it is important to have a look at key facts regarding your Blood Pressure.
Blood Pressure Chart, Reading & Facts
Blood pressure reading is expressed in a couple of numbers. These numbers have a unit mmHg or millimeters of Mercury.
The first number or the numerator of the fraction is the pressure through which heart is pumping blood. This is termed as systolic blood pressure. The denominator of the fraction or the second number shows the diastolic blood pressure or the pressure between beat. Figure out the systolic and the diastolic pressure in the normal blood pressure of an adult – 120/80 mmHg. Yes the number 120 denotes systolic and 80 denotes diastolic.
Blood pressure chart to make you aware of where you stand is tabulated below
| Blood Pressure Reading | What it Means? |
| Below 120/80 mmHg | Yes you are safe! Normal BP |
|
120-139/80-89 mmHg |
Start taking precautions if you are not already taking them. You are in pre-hypertension zone. |
|
140-159/90-99 mmHg |
Stage 1 Hypertension! But you still can overcome it |
|
160 and above/100 and above mmHg |
Stage 2 Hypertension! You need to pull your socks up but game is not still lost. |
How to Lower Blood Pressure
Before we get into the debate of how to lower your BP, let us first see what factors lead to hypertension. Here is a list
- Alcohol Consumption
- Obesity
- Smoking, or exposure to smoking
- Genetics
- Stress
- Advancing age
- Problematic adrenal glands, thyroid or kidney
- Too much salt or sodium intake
- Inactive lifestyle
There are various symptoms that if you experience are signs that you may be conducive to hypertension. These symptoms include
- Exhaustion and fatigue
- Severe Headache
- Irregularity in your heartbeat
- Pain or pounding in chest.
- Pounding in neck or ears
- Vision problems
- Blood in urine
You do not need to wait for all these symptoms to co-exist. The occurrence of any of these can mean a red flag.
The intuitive response to hypertension would be to take medication. You might want to do so, but unless you reach Stage 2 Hypertension, we would recommend you to follow these simple steps and lower your blood pressure naturally.
No Smoking: Smoking is injurious to health; even the tobacco businesses tell you so. And research suggests that smoking makes you prone to heart issues and hypertension. So you are a smoker and your blood pressure reading is not ideal? Time to dump all those cigarette packs away for good.
Take care of your body weight: Obesity is one of the risk factors for hypertension. So it is high time you get rid of all the fattening foods and workout regularly in order to get rid of hypertension.
Improving your diet: The way to a man’s heart is through his stomach, right? The way to a healthier BP and more productive lifestyle also lies through stomach. So eat healthy, use more and more fruits and vegetables and increase your intake of whole foods. You will see amazing results. Also increase your water intake to detox your body. Get rid of sweeteners, have purple fruits and increase intake of vitamin D.
Most importantly, RELAX: The heading says it all. Just relax and stop taking stress. DO take off time as well rather than running after your goals all the time.
Blood Pressure Reading Chart
Please Note that your blood pressure may also vary throughout the day.
Valuable information