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High Blood Pressure Guide
What is High Blood Pressure?
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What is High Blood Pressure?
The force of blood, pumped from the heart through the body, exerted on the walls of blood vessels and arteries is known as blood pressure. If blood pressure levels are too high, serious health problems can result.
Blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury, in two distinct categories of pressure, systolic and diastolic. Systolic refers to the measurement of blood pressure when the heart is contracting, and is represented by the first number in a blood pressure reading. Diastolic refers to the measurement of blood pressure while the heart is relaxed and is represented as the second number in a reading. Normal blood pressure readings are usually 120/80 or less.
High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is often called the "silent killer," because those who suffer usually don't know, because there are no symptoms associated with high blood pressure. The only way to know if you suffer from high blood pressure is to have your blood pressure checked regularly.
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High Blood Pressure Symptoms