At your annual wellness visit, at a specialty visit, at plenty of other healthcare visits — there are countless times when you'll have your blood pressure taken. In fact, it's so routine that you may not even pay attention anymore.
"While getting your blood pressure checked may not make you think twice, it's an essential part of monitoring your health. This is partly because the only way to know where you stand is to measure it," explains Susan Pizzi, MS, RN, Community Health Educator at Chester County Hospital. "High blood pressure (also known as hypertension) usually doesn’t have any symptoms, giving this common condition the nickname The Silent Killer.”
May is High Blood Pressure Education Month. This is a perfect time to spruce up your knowledge about blood pressure, including what your blood pressure numbers mean and what to do if they're too high. Here’s a look at what your blood pressure means — and how to keep it in a healthy range.
Understanding Your Blood Pressure Numbers
You've probably heard the term blood pressure many times before. But have you stopped to think about what it actually means?
Your blood pressure is how hard your blood pushes on your artery walls when it pumps blood to the rest of your body. If your arteries become more narrow, this can lead to more force on your artery walls — or high blood pressure.
There are plenty of ways to take your blood pressure — at your healthcare provider's office, at a pharmacy with a digital blood pressure machine, or even at home with a home blood pressure monitor.
No matter how you check your blood pressure, it's always based on two numbers:
- Systolic Blood Pressure, which is a measurement of the pressure in your arteries when your heart beats
- Diastolic Blood Pressure, which is a measurement of the pressure in your arteries when your heart is at rest between beats
In order to measure your blood pressure, healthcare providers use a measurement called millimeters of mercury (mmHg). If your blood pressure is 120/80 mmHg (read as 120 over 80), your systolic number is 120, and your diastolic number is 80.
High blood pressure is simply when your blood pressure is higher than what's considered normal. These ranges include:
- Normal: Less than 120/80
- Prehypertension: 120-139/80-90
- Stage 1 high blood pressure: 140-159/90-99
- Stage 2 high blood pressure: 160 and above/100 and above
Why Does Blood Pressure Matter?
Your heart works hard for you every day. Normally, that’s a good thing. But if you have high blood pressure, it may actually be working too hard.
"If your blood pressure stays high for a long period of time, it can put extra stress on your heart, making it pump and work harder. This added pressure can also cause damage to your blood vessels, making them narrow, weak or stiff," says Susan.
Eventually, if not managed, high blood pressure can lead to a wide range of complications, such as:
What Causes High Blood Pressure — and How to Maintain a Healthy Range
Your heart is a complex organ, and it relies on many factors to stay healthy. That's why there’s not usually a single cause of high blood pressure. However, there are some known causes of high blood pressure — some of which aren't in your control, some of which are.
High blood pressure risk factors that you can't control include:
- Genetics and family history (especially with close relatives, like parents)
- Health conditions, such as kidney problems and diabetes
- Race (Non-Hispanic Black people are at an increased risk of high blood pressure)
- Certain medications, such as some birth control prescriptions
- Older age
However, there are plenty of risk factors that are in your control — and they are key to keeping your blood pressure in a healthy range.
In order to keep your blood pressure in check, do your best to avoid these common causes:
Maintaining a healthy blood pressure range starts with getting it checked. While high blood pressure can't be cured, it can be managed using lifestyle changes, medication, or a combination of the two.
Keep in mind — you're not alone when it comes to controlling your blood pressure. Your primary care provider can help identify possible causes of high blood pressure and ways to manage it.
Every day, your heart puts in a lot of work to keep you healthy. This High Blood Pressure Education Month — and every month — do your best to thank it for its hard work by taking steps to manage your blood pressure.
Do You Have Questions About Your Blood Pressure? Talk to your Chester County Hospital Primary Care Provider or attend one of our Chester County Hospital Blood Pressure Screenings to learn your numbers and how to keep them in a healthy range.