What is Blood Pressure?
Blood pressure is the pressure exerted by the blood when it pushes against the artery wall.
Blood pressure is measured with the help of two numbers. The systolic blood pressure or the ‘top’ one is the first number used, and diastolic blood pressure or the ‘bottom’ one is the second number used. The blood pressure is mentioned in the format systolic and diastolic as 120/80 which means that the systolic pressure is 120 and diastolic is 80.
What Is Systolic Blood Pressure?
The force created by the heart when beating squeezes and pushes the blood to the entire body. The power produced puts pressure on the blood vessels, known as systolic blood pressure.
Following are the Range of Systolic Blood Pressure:
- Blood pressure below 120 is normal blood pressure.
- Blood pressure in the range of 120- 129 is elevated blood pressure.
- Anything between 130-139 is stage 1 blood pressure or high blood pressure.
- Blood pressure ranging between 140 and above is stage 2 or hypertension.
- Blood pressure 180 or more is a Hypertensive crisis which means the person needs to be quickly taken to the hospital.
What does Diastolic Blood Pressure Mean?
The pressure created when the heart rests between the beats is called Diastolic Blood pressure or the bottom number.
Following are the Range of Diastolic Blood Pressure:
- Anything lower than 80 is normal.
- Anything between 80- 89 is hypertension stage 1.
- When diastolic blood pressure goes above 90, it’s stage 2 hypertension.
- 120 or more is a hypertensive crisis.
To make sure that your blood pressure is 120/80 you need to lead a healthy lifestyle. That means a proper diet and exercise can help you achieve BP normal in range. If your blood pressure is not in the normal range, you need to visit a doctor as soon as possible.
If prescribed by the doctor, a healthy lifestyle and necessary medications can take you a long to achieve blood pressure ranging in the normal range.
You may need to cut down on salt or sodium. Before doing that, you may want to take a doctor’s advice.
Exercises that make your heartbeat pump up help you maintain your blood pressure. Activities such as Aerobics help you a great deal. In a week, you can do it 3 to 4 times a week for at least 40 minutes. Studies have shown that this helps you regulate your blood pressure.
Being overweight can also cause blood pressure. So, it would be best to cut down the flab that will make you lead a healthy life. Losing weight is not just essential to lead a healthy life but also to maintain your blood pressure.
To maintain your blood pressure, you need to limit your alcohol consumption. This will protect you from blood pressure problems.
The Bottom Line:
It is essential to lead a healthy and stress-free lifestyle to get the proper blood pressure. You need to consume the right food and exercise daily. To maintain BP’s normal range, you need to seek a doctor’s advice and take the necessary medications. For more about health insurance, check out Finserv MARKETS.
