What is High Blood Pressure?
According to the Heart Association you are suffering from high blood pressure (hypertension) when the pressure reaches above 140/90 mmHg. Experiencing high blood pressure means the pressure in your veins is too high. This is potentially dangerous for your heart, kidneys, eyes or other organs. It could also cause damages to the blood vessels itself. This will cause an increased risk for heart failures or even a stroke.
Check your blood pressure
Most people with high blood pressure have no signs or symptoms. In fact, nearly one-third of people cannot feel high blood pressure and are unaware that they have it. This is why it is often referred to as a “silent killer”. The only way to truly tell if you have elevated blood pressure is to take a reading with a blood pressure cuff. It is best practice to measure your own blood pressure using a home blood pressure monitor.
If you are experiencing a heightened blood pressure for a longer period of time, or when you have an extremely high blood pressure, your body will definitely start giving wringing signs. If you recognize any of the following 7 symptoms it is strongly advisable to see your general practitioner.
You can read the 7 signs and symptoms of high blood pressure on the following page:
Or if like a doctor I saw took my blood pressure commented that it was really high and that I’d never had high blood pressure before, gave me a prescription for blood pressure tablets didn’t ask me to come back to keep a check and then suffered a subarachnoid hemorrhage around a month or so later, if I had been kept an eye on would this have been prevented? Just lucky to be alive!