What Is High Blood Pressure (Or Hypertension)
And Why Is It Dangerous?
Blood pressure is the force your blood exerts on your arteries as it flows through your body. If you have high blood pressure it means that your blood is exerting too much force on your arteries and is making your heart's job--pumping blood--more difficult than it should be.
Now, your heart is a powerful and efficient muscle, but if it's forced to work too hard for too long it can enlarge, wear out or fail, causing a heart attack, stroke, aneurysm, and an early death.
When you have your blood pressure taken, you're given two numbers referred to as your Systolic and Diastolic blood pressure.
Your Systolic blood pressure is the measurement of the pressure your blood exerts on your arteries when your heart beats, while your Diastolic blood pressure is the measurement of the pressure your blood exerts on your arteries when your heart is at rest.
What's The Difference Between Normal Blood Pressure and High Blood Pressure?
For an average adult:
Blood Pressure Stage Systolic Diastolic
Normal <120 <80
Pre-Hypertension 120-139 80-99
Stage One Hypertension 140-159 90-99
Stage Two Hypertension 160+ 100+
If your blood pressure consistently reads in the Hypertension or Pre-hypertension categories, then you need to take immediate and lasting action if you want to live a long and healthy life.