Understanding your Blood Pressure (2/25/2020)

According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1 in 3 American adults have high blood pressure. High blood pressure increases your risk for serious health problems, including stroke and heart attack.

Blood pressure. What exactly does that mean?
Blood pressure is how hard your blood pushes against the walls of your arteries when your heart pumps blood. Arteries are the tubes that carry blood away from your heart. Every time your heart beats, it pumps blood through your arteries to the rest of your body.

Hypertension is the medical term for high blood pressure. High blood pressure usually has no symptoms, so it’s sometimes called a “silent killer.” The only way to know if you have high blood pressure is to get tested.

Inquiring minds want to know.  What do those blood pressure numbers mean?
A blood pressure test measures how hard your heart is working to pump blood through your body. Blood pressure is measured with 2 numbers. The first number is the pressure in your arteries when your heart beats. The second number is the pressure in your arteries between beats, when your heart relaxes.

When your heart beats, it squeezes and pushes blood through your arteries to the rest of your body. This force creates pressure on those blood vessels, and that's your systolic blood pressure, or the top number in the sequence.

The diastolic reading, or the bottom number, is the pressure in the arteries when the heart rests between beats. This is the time when the heart fills with blood and gets oxygen.

Your numbers may be "120 over 80" or written as 120/80.

We know that when we get our blood pressure checked, it goes like this. But, did you know specifically what they’re looking (or listening) for?
The small gauge on the device is attached to an inflatable cuff. The cuff goes around your upper arm.
Then they’ll use a stethoscope to listen to the blood moving through your artery. The cuff gets inflated to a pressure higher than your systolic blood pressure, and then it tightens around your arm. Then it gets released. As the cuff deflates, the first sound that's heard through the stethoscope is the systolic blood pressure. It sounds like a whooshing noise. The point where this noise goes away marks the diastolic blood pressure.

A normal systolic pressure is below 120.
A normal diastolic blood pressure is lower than 80. 

 What can you do to help out your body?

Some ways to help your body with your blood pressure include eating healthy, getting or staying active, watching your weight, and adding supplements to your daily routine.

• Watching your sodium intake and eating more potassium may also help lower your blood pressure. Good sources of potassium include potatoes, cantaloupe, bananas, beans, and yogurt.  Eating foods that are low in saturated fat and sodium (salt) is also a plus.
• Getting regular physical activity can lower your risk of high blood pressure. Aim for 2 hours and 30 minutes a week of moderate activity, like walking fast, dancing, riding a bike, swimming and aerobics.

• Watch your weight by eating healthy and getting active.

• Drink alcohol only in moderation.
• Work on managing your stress.
• Managing stress can help prevent and control high blood pressure. Deep breathing and meditation are good • ways to relax and manage stress.
• Work on quitting smoking as smoking damages your heart and blood vessels.

• Adding supplements like the all-natural Pressu Norm formula by Professional Botanicals, where you’ll find herbs like Yarrow Flower and Valerian Root, which support your body without the negative side effects that come from using products with harmful or toxic ingredients.

 Water Balance by Professional Botanicals
 Intra-Mag 500 by Dynamic Nutritional Associates (DNA Labs)
 Potassium by by Dynamic Nutritional Associates (DNA Labs)
N-2 Heart Energizer Homeopathic by Dynamic Nutritional Associates (DNA Labs)
 Cardio + CoQ by Professional Botanicals
Circ-Q by Professional Botanicals

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Note: The content of this article, and additional content on this website, are for informational purposes only and are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of a physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking help because of something you read here on this website.