Why is blood pressure important?

The Facts about blood pressure

Why is blood pressure important?

Blood pressure is important because the higher your blood pressure is, the higher your risk of health problems in the future.

If your blood pressure is high, it is putting extra strain on your arteries and on your heart. Over time, this strain can cause the arteries to become to become thicker and less flexible, or to become weaker.

If your arteries become thicker and less flexible, they will become more narrow, making them more likely to become clogged up. If an artery becomes completely clogged up (known as a clot), this can lead to a heart attack, a stroke, kidney disease or dementia.

More rarely, if an artery has become weakened, the extra strain may eventually lead to the artery bursting. This may also cause a heart attack or stroke.

The good news is that there are many ways in which you can lower your blood pressure and put less strain on your arteries and heart.

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Blood Pressure Chart

What is Normal Blood Pressure?

Buy and use an automatic blood pressure monitor. Compare your BP reading with the numbers on the chart above. Draw a line from your systolic pressure to your diastolic pressure. Is the slope of the line about the same as shown on the chart? Where do YOU fit in? What are your risk factors?

Are your blood pressure readings within the normal blood pressure range?
Should you take anti-hypertension medication to lower your blood pressure?

Normal human daily Blood Pressure Range can vary widely, so any single blood pressure monitor reading is not reliable. BP monitor readings must be taken at different times of day, to determine AVERAGE blood pressure levels over time.

What is important is your AVERAGE BP, or MAP (Mean Arterial Pressure) over time.
Or, where are those numbers sitting MOST of the time?
Normal MAP is about 93 mm of mercury.

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Lower blood pressure naturally

“I don't want to start medicines for high blood pressure. There is no way I want to take medicines life- long” is the common response of a patient when suggested to start pharmacological help for hypertension. The unenthusiastic response is usually do to the fact the patient suffering with this problem does not always have any disturbing symptom that compels him to take medicines. But the fact is that in spite of any obvious disturbance the disease tends to have its own effects gradually on the human metabolism as it is called as the ‘silent killer.'

The heart pumps blood to various parts of the body and the force that is exerted on the blood vessels is called as systolic pressure and as the heart relaxes to receive blood from the lungs and then gets ready for the next contraction is called as diastolic pressure. Ideally, it should be about 120/80mm of Hg., and if the lower one touches 90 or go beyond it is called as hypertension. The body tends to adjust gradually to the new conditions and no obvious symptom may be exhibited by the patient but for the examination of the pressure which shows otherwise. As the blood pressure is not in normal limits it tends to cause a stress on the blood vessels and when those in the brain are put under this tension there is fine leak or a block of the vessel causing a stroke.

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Lowering Cholesterol, Blood Pressure May Reduce Alzheimer’s Risk

Treating traditional risk factors for heart disease such as hypertension, high cholesterol, and diabetes may also prevent the progression of mild memory and cognitive problems into full-blown Alzheimer’s disease, a new study suggests.

Although dietary changes, cholesterol-lowering statins, and hypertension drugs such as beta-blockers are far from a surefire way to prevent Alzheimer’s, these and other treatments that promote healthy blood vessels may be a practical way for people to reduce their risk, the researchers say.

The study, which was conducted in China and published in the journal Neurology, “highlights the importance of midlife vascular risk factors for Alzheimer’s disease, which, unlike age and genetics, can be modified,” says Whitney Wharton, PhD, a research scientist at the University of Wisconsin’s Alzheimer’s Institute, in Madison, who was not involved in the research.

Researchers at Daping Hospital, in Chongqing, followed 638 men and women over the age of 55 for five years. All the study participants had problems with memory and mental function that were noticeable but not severe enough to interfere with their daily functioning. This condition, known as mild cognitive impairment, progresses to Alzheimer’s in roughly 10% to 15% of cases each year, according to the study.

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