After a visit to your physician you might still find yourself wondering just what your blood pressure should be. Luckily, for the vast majority of people the answer to this question is easy. If you pressure is in the region of 120 over 80 then this would be considered normal. However, once it rises to around 140 over 90 or higher you will have entered the realm of high blood pressure and may need medication to control the condition. One problem however is that 'normal' is different for different people and such things as medication, your age, the amount of exercise you take and other factors can change your pressure giving you a normal pressure with may be slightly different from the average.
Normal blood pressure varies from one person to the next. For example, if you have heart disease, kidney disease or diabetes your doctor may be content to see your pressure slightly higher than average and consider normal pressure for you to be say 130 over 80. He may also put you on medication and recommend a change in diet and an exercise plan to maintain this pressure if necessary.
Even for healthy people, increased blood pressure can increase your likelihood of having a heart attack by 20-25 percent, of suffering a stroke by 35-40 percent and of heart failure by more than 50 percent. As a result, if you have any suspicion that your pressure might be high, or starting to rise, you should begin to monitor it on a regular basis. Your doctor can then work out your average pressure and decide whether any action needs to be taken.
If your pressure is near normal but beginning to increase then your doctor may simply recommend a program of diet and exercise to correct the problem. As little as 20 or 30 minutes of exercise 3 or 4 times a week and a sensible eating plan can have a marked effect on your blood pressure. In some people the intake of sodium can affect your pressure significantly and your physician may recommend you reduce your salt intake immediately.
A major advancement in tackling the problem of high blood pressure has been the introduction of the DASH diet. This diet focuses its attention on a range of healthy food including fish and poultry, along with vegetables and fruit.
If you are uncertain about just what your blood pressure should be then seek the professional opinion of your doctor. You will then need to check your pressure regularly and, if necessary, make some simple lifestyle changes if you do start to develop high blood pressure. Remember too that one of the best investments that any of us can make in our health these says is to purchase a blood pressure monitor for use at home.
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Find out far more than simply what the answer to the question what should your blood pressure be is and the value today of using a home blood pressure monitor to keep an eye on your overall health.
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