When a health provider takes your blood pressure they rely on two separate readings. They measure the systolic blood pressure, which is the number of millimeters of mercury when the heart is contracting. They also measure the diastolic pressure when the heart is at rest. A normal blood pressure level is a systolic measurement of around 120 and a diastolic measurement of 80. A dangerous low blood pressure level is systolic measure of less than 90 and a diastolic measure of less than 60. A dangerous high blood pressure level is a systolic reading of more than 140 and a diastolic measure of 90 or more. A person with a reading of 160 over 100 or more is in definite danger of having a stroke or heart attack.
It is normal for a person's blood pressure levels to fluctuate quite a lot. Therefore a health care provider will need to take a number of separate measurements to determine your average blood pressure in order to diagnose a problem. If your measurements are indicative of prehypertension on one visit to your health care provider, it isn't necessarily a cause for alarm. However, if two or more consecutive tests show a high blood pressure level you should seek medical treatment for the problem without delay.
Health Problems
If your blood pressure is slightly low you may feel dizzy when you stand up too quickly. This can usually be remedied with an adequate diet that contains sufficient calories as well as all of the required vitamins and minerals. A dangerous low blood pressure level is a medical condition which is commonly called 'shock.' With very low blood pressure the bloodstream is too weak to carry oxygen to the brain and other vital organs. The symptoms of a dangerous low blood pressure level are dizziness, weakness, lack of coherence, and in the most severe cases, coma or death.
A dangerous high blood pressure level is called elevated hypertension. It means that the heart has to work much harder than it should and can lead to health problems such as congestive heart failure, heart attack, stoke, aneurysm, kidney failure, and eye problems. Because many of these health problems can easily prove fatal, anybody who has a dangerous high blood pressure level requires prompt medical treatment.
How To Avoid Hypertension
The exact causes of a dangerous high blood pressure level are not always known. Nevertheless there are measures that all of us can take in order to help avoid hypertension. Moderate regular exercise can reduce the chance of developing hypertension by fifty percent. Furthermore, research shows that people who maintain an ideal weight are six times less likely to have high blood pressure later in life.
Amending your diet and lifestyle is also a smart idea if you want to avoid developing dangerous high blood pressure levels. Avoid smoking, restrict your alcohol intake and keep away from foods which contains a lot of sugar or trans fats since they can cause atherosclerosis, which narrows the arteries. You should also reduce your sodium intake if you wish to avoid hypertension.
There are also foods, herbs, minerals and vitamins that you should include in your diet if you wish to avoid high blood pressure. Foods for maintaining healthy blood pressure include bananas, avocados, grapes, oats, bean sprouts and broccoli. B complex vitamins, folic acid, niacin, potassium, calcium, magnesium and vitamins C, D and E are also important.
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