High blood pressure (hypertension) affects nearly 1 in 5 adults in New Zealand. It is more common in older age groups but it can affect anyone. Sometimes there are no symptoms. The risk of heart attack or stroke increases if your blood pressure remains high.
Make regular blood pressure checks part of your heart health and taking action to lower your blood pressure can reduce the risk of organ damage. Come and see one of our pharmacists to get your blood pressure checked as part of your overall health check. Your pharmacist will discuss and explain the results for you.
What is blood pressure?
When your heart beats, it pumps blood round your body to give it the energy and oxygen it needs. As the blood moves, it pushes against the sides of the blood vessels. The strength of this pushing is your blood pressure. If your blood pressure is too high, it puts extra strain on your arteries (and your heart) and this may lead to heart attacks and strokes.
How you can tell if you have high blood pressure?
Having high blood pressure (hypertension) is not usually something that you feel or notice. It does not tend to produce obvious signs or symptoms. The only way to know what your blood pressure is, is to have it measured.
Blood pressure is measured in ‘millimetres of mercury’ (mmHg) and is written as two numbers. For example, if your reading is 120/80mmHg, your blood pressure is ‘120 over 80’.
What do the numbers mean?
Every blood pressure reading consists of two numbers or levels. They are shown as one number on top of the other.
The first (or top) number is your systolic blood pressure. It is the highest level your blood pressure reaches when your heart beats.
The second (or bottom) number is your diastolic blood pressure. It is the lowest level your blood pressure reaches as your heart relaxes between beats.
A blood pressure higher than 120/80 doesn’t necessary means a bad thing. This is also depends on your age and other health conditions. Your pharmacist will recommend the best action regarding your reading.
What is normal blood pressure?
Ideally, we should all have a blood pressure below 120 over 80 (120/80). This is the ideal blood pressure for people wishing to have good health. At this level, we have a much lower risk of heart disease or stroke.
If your blood pressure is optimal, this is great news. By following our healthy living advice, you will be able to keep it this way.
A blood pressure higher than 120/80 doesn’t necessary means a bad thing. This is also depends on your age and other health conditions. Your pharmacist will recommend the best action regarding your reading.
Why is high blood pressure a problem?
Persistent high blood pressure damages the blood vessels, especially if you also have raised blood cholesterol or diabetes, or if you smoke.
If blood vessels become narrowed or blocked, a heart attack or stroke may occur. High blood pressure is also linked to kidney and eye damage and poor circulation in the arteries of the legs.
- If you imagine a garden hose with the nozzle at a narrow setting, water will leave the hose with great force and could damage tender plants. The body behaves in a similar way when there is increased pressure (ie. high blood pressure) in the arteries.
- If the arteries were delivering blood at high pressure to delicate organs such as the eyes, kidneys and brain they can cause damage, possibly permanent.
- If the heart has to beat against increased artery pressure, eventually, after a period of years, it will feel the strain and tire.
- Normal blood pressure delivers an effective blood supply to all parts of the body without damaging sensitive organs.
How is your blood pressure measured?
Your blood pressure is measured by a automated blood pressure and heart-rate monitoring machine – Class II Medical device manufactured in FDA-regulated NYBP facility
Features:
• Blood Pressure and Pulse Rate
• Proven Accuracy
• Fully-Automated Upper-Arm Pressure Cuff
• LED Display of Readings
• Blood Pressure Guidelines Display
• Oscillometric Methodology
• Four Information Display Panels
• User Record Card Holder
Accuracy:
• Complies with AAMI (Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation) Standards
• +/- 5 mmHg (millimeters of mercury)