Managing Personal Health Spurs Societal Progress

Modern society has the historically unique advantage of being given access to information to monitor one’s own personal health.  One instance of this ability is the widespread information about hypertension.

When you are getting your blood pressure taken, your pressure will either be normal, low, or high. To find out what is normal or not, you can look on a blood pressure chart. The chart can help you figure out what your pressure is when it is taken.

Your blood pressure will usually be recorded as two numbers at a doctor’s office. The top number measures the pressure of your arteries when your heart beats. The bottom number measures the pressure in your arteries between heartbeats.

Those whose readings are higher than normal may have hypertension or high blood pressure. The diagnosis will not be confirmed though until you have had several reading. If the doctor does find that you have hypertension, he will most likely want you to start treatment. The treatment may be medication and or a lifestyle change. If the top number on the pressure reading is higher than 180 or the bottom number on pressure reading is higher than 110, you should get medical help immediately.

Also for those whose reading are lower than normal, you may have hypotension. Those who have a low blood pressure but are not experiencing any symptoms usually don’t have to worry about it. Those who are experiencing symptoms such as dizziness, fainting, dehydration, nausea, rapid and shallow breathing, blurred vision, and depression should seek help. Low pressure can happen with pregnancy, prolonged bed rest, heart problems, certain medications, shock, and nutritional deficiencies. Severely low blood pressure can have an underlying cause such as a heart or endocrine disorder.

So the next time you get your blood pressure taken, find out what your numbers mean and if you can do anything about them.