What is High Blood Pressure?
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a condition where an individual’s
blood pressure remains high over a long period of time. Untreated,
hypertension can cause many serious medical problems including strokes and
heart attacks. To control hypertension, the American Heart Association
recommends that you not smoke, reduce fat and salt intake, maintain proper
weight, exercise, and get regular physical checkups.
Why is it Important to Measure your
Blood Pressure at Home?
Having your blood pressure taken at the doctors office may cause the patient to
become nervous, thus artificially raising the individual’s reading. Taking your
own blood pressure reading at home can eliminate this source of inaccuracy.
Having the capability to measure blood pressure at home provides a good way
to determine one’s fundamental blood pressure. This is defined as the first
blood pressure reading upon waking, before taking any food or drink.
Take your blood pressure every day. Make a log of your daily readings. When
used as a supplement to a doctors readings, this information will help you
gain a greater understanding of your blood pressure and the factors that
affect it.
Blood Pressure Classifications
Standards for assessment of high blood pressure, without regard to age,
have been established by the World Health Organization (WHO), as
shown in this chart
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