Blood pressure, when too high, is often related to unhealthy lifestyle habits like drinking too much alcohol, smoking cigarettes, eating unhealthy foods, being overweight and not doing enough physical exercise. When it’s left untreated, high blood pressure can seriously drive up your risk of developing numerous long-term health conditions, like coronary heart disease and kidney disease. Low blood pressure is much less common, and is sometimes brought on by medicinal side effects.
What is a healthy blood pressure range?
Blood pressure is the pressure of the blood within the human arteries and is produced primarily by the heart muscles contracting.
Blood pressure is measured using two recorded numbers.
The first looks at systolic pressure and is measured after the heart contracts at its highest level.
The second, called diastolic pressure, is measured before the heart contracts at its lowest, while blood pressure elevation is referred to as hypertension.
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Eight signs your blood pressure is too high
Hypertension can be terrifying because many people who get it won’t experience any symptoms.
In some cases, it may take years or decades for the condition to reach levels high enough that symptoms become obvious.
Even then, it’s easy to attribute the symptoms to other health ailments, but acting for a symptom of high blood pressure can be fatal so be extra wary if you think you could be affected.
The best way to know if you have hypertension or your blood pressure is too high is to have regular readings, but signs to look out for include:
- Headaches
- Shortness of breath
- Nosebleeds
- Flushing
- Dizziness and nausea
- Chest pains
- Visual changes
- Bleeding in the urine
