Why is High Blood Pressure Dangerous and How to Manage It.
Saturday, July 4, 2009
Blood pressure is the force your blood exerts on your arteries as it flows through your body. If you have high blood pressure it means that your blood is exerting too much force on your arteries and is making your heart's job--pumping blood--more difficult than it should be.
Now, your heart is a powerful and efficient muscle, but if it's forced to work too hard for too long it can enlarge, wear out or fail, causing a heart attack, stroke, aneurysm... and an early death.
When you have your blood pressure taken, you're given two numbers referred to as your Systolic and Diastolic blood pressure.
Your Systolic blood pressure is the measurement of the pressure your blood exerts on your arteries when your heart beats, while your Diastolic blood pressure is the measurement of the pressure your blood exerts on your arteries when your heart is at rest.
Now, your heart is a powerful and efficient muscle, but if it's forced to work too hard for too long it can enlarge, wear out or fail, causing a heart attack, stroke, aneurysm... and an early death.
When you have your blood pressure taken, you're given two numbers referred to as your Systolic and Diastolic blood pressure.
Your Systolic blood pressure is the measurement of the pressure your blood exerts on your arteries when your heart beats, while your Diastolic blood pressure is the measurement of the pressure your blood exerts on your arteries when your heart is at rest.
