1. In Pursuit of 120/80
Your blood pressure is the amount of blood pumping through your body. To measure your blood pressure, a health care professional will wrap a cuff around your upper arm, inflate it, and track it with a machine or by listening with a stethoscope. Two numbers make up your blood pressure. In a 120/80 reading, the top number, also called the systolic, shows the maximum pressure when the heart contracts. The diastolic reading, or the bottom number, is your heart rate when the arteries are at rest.
2. Know Your Numbers
Adults should have a diastolic blood pressure reading of less than 80. If the number is in the 80s, you have borderline high blood pressure. A regular reading of 90 or higher means you have high blood pressure and you will need to manage it through lifestyle changes or medication.
3. Get Regular Readings
It's important to get regular blood pressure readings when you have high blood pressure or a family history of heart disease. Experts call high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, the silent killer because it often presents no symptoms. Yet high blood pressure increases your risk of heart attack and stroke. Likewise, low blood pressure is often a sign of an infection or a disease needing treatment. A single blood pressure reading is never enough to diagnose high or low blood pressure.
4. Don't Fear the Doctor
Many factors affect blood pressure, including medications and emotions. A common situation called "white coat hypertension" occurs when your pressure rises only in a doctor's office. Have your blood pressure checked in other locations if you think you might suffer from "white coat hypertension." Learn meditation or relaxation exercises to manage the stress in your life.
5. Treat High Blood Pressure the Right Way
More people suffer from high blood pressure than low. The higher the blood pressure, the harder the heart has to work, so treatment for high blood pressure focuses on getting blood pressure under the 120/80 reading. Doctors have several classes of antihypertensive medications to choose from, including beta-blockers and diuretics. When you start medication, it's important to have frequent follow-ups with your doctor to get the best medication and dosage for lowering your blood pressure to normal levels. Doctors should look at both numbers before prescribing medication, so a normal diastolic number doesn't drop lower than 50 or 60, if you're experiencing dizziness. If one number is in the normal range and another isn't, look at alternative medications or treatment.
