Your body needs oxygen and energy to keep it going. When your heart beats, it pumps blood to your whole body, giving it the energy and oxygen it requires.Blood pressure is a measurement of the force against the walls of your arteries as your heart pumps blood.
If your blood pressure is high, your heart has to work more and this puts extra strain on your arteries. Such a state can predispose you to heart attacks, stroke and various other health problems.
If your blood pressure readings are consistently 140 over 90, or higher, over a number of weeks, during different times of the day, a diagnosis of Hypertension is given.
You may not feel or notice that you have hypertension. And because it does not produce any obvious signs and symptoms, the only way to detect it is to regularly check your blood pressure.
Blood pressure doesn't stay the same all the time. It rises and falls with change in activity or emotional state such as excitement, nervousness, or anxiety. It lowers during sleep and rises when you wake up.
High blood pressure is no longer a disease that affects only adults. It is a growing problem in children too.
