Maintaining a healthy blood pressure is extremely important in living a successful healthy and long life. The danger with high blood pressure is that it often goes unnoticed for years, and can lead to serious heart trouble, heart attack or stroke. Not the type of event any of us wishes to experience, especially if high blood pressure can be picked up early and treated accordingly.

Just recently famous UK politician Robin Cook collapsed and was pronounced dead on arrival to hospital from suffering a heart attack directly linked to the high blood pressure disease hypotension. He was only 59; the age when people of all society groups should be checking their blood pressure regularly (at least once per year) and seeking treatment if the doctor suggests it’s high for your age.

High blood pressure took the lives of over 40 thousands Americans in 2002 alone and nearly 1 in 3 adults suffers from high blood pressure. Alarmingly, since 1992 up to 2002 the deaths from high blood pressure rose 27% - this is too much. If you’re concerned about your own blood pressure I highly recommend you seek your doctor’s advice and perhaps take a test or even purchase your own blood pressure monitor.

Although blood pressure alters during the course of the day based on physical activity, a reading of 120/80 of systolic and diastolic readings are considered to be a normal blood pressure. This is the standard reading that is considered the norm for checking the blood pressure increase or decrease.

It is very important to keep blood pressure under control as high blood pressure, or hypertension as it is commonly known, may lead to heart attack or stroke. According to medical research, every 20-point increase in the systolic reading or a 10-point increase in the diastolic reading nearly doubles the risk of heart attack or stroke.

Since there is no cure for high blood pressure, it’s important to keep readings within the normal range. High blood pressure can be controlled by maintaining a proper diet; good sleep habits, avoiding stress and regular medication. Hyperactivity may induce a faster heartbeat, resulting in increased blood pressure. Exercise, within limits, is another way to keep blood pressure in check.

A reading above the normal range of 120/80 is considered high and requires a physician’s attention. Be aware that if anyone in your immediate or secondary family has high or low blood pressure, you too are genetically predisposed to a blood pressure condition. If their blood pressure is normal, yours probably is too. But there are always exceptions.

Blood Pressure is the force of the blood pushing against the walls of the arteries. Blood Pressure is recorded as two numbers. For example 120/80.The larger number indicates the pressure in the arteries as the heart squeezes out blood during each beat. It is called the Systolic Blood Pressure. The lower number indicates the pressure as the heart relaxes before the next beat. It is called the Diastolic Blood Pressure. Blood does not circulate in an even stream around the body, but travels in a constant series of spurts. Therefore the pressure peaks in the blood vessels just after a heart beat and then ebbs until the next one. This is a continuous process.

What is Normal Blood Pressure?

There are no hard and fast figures which represent a normal Blood Pressure range. However, it is usually agreed that somewhere between 110/70 and 125/80 is considered to be an average Blood Pressure for a grown person. Though someone with naturally low Blood Pressure may be closer to a range of 100/60. A Blood Pressure of 140/90 is considered to be high, although as a person gets older, this falls into the normal range for people.

What Does High Blood Pressure Do To the Body?

High Blood Pressure causes the heart to work harder, putting a person at increased risk for heart attack, stroke, heart failure, kidney and eye problems. A Blood Pressure above 140/90 may be considered to be on the high side for a young adult, but a Blood Pressure higher than 180/110 is too high and dangerous. There are no symptoms to identify High Blood Pressure and therefore many people are unaware that they have it. High Blood Pressure usually does not give warning signs.