According to the latest numbers made public by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, a whopping 75% of Americans suffer from high blood pressure. In 2013 alone, 360000 Americans died from conditions caused directly by high blood pressure, which is more than 1000 per day. What is more, high blood pressure is responsible for serious health conditions such as stroke, heart failure and kidney disease. Although people over 60 are at the highest risk for developing high blood pressure, the incidence of this issue among younger people is constantly growing, which is why it has become all the more important to prevent it and learn to recognize its symptoms. Whether your family has a history of heart disease or you just want to make sure you are healthy, you should learn how to check your blood pressure at home.
Even if you don’t have any symptoms and feel absolutely fine, checking your blood pressure from time to time is something you shouldn’t neglect. It doesn’t hurt, it only takes a few seconds, but it can save your life. You could ask your GP to check it for you, but you could also invest in a sphygmomanometer and use it a home whenever you want to. This is the instrument used to measure heart pressure and it’s one of the best investments you could make for your health. It’s not expensive and you don’t need to be a doctor to use it!
Using this instrument is important because it is very possible to suffer from heart pressure without noticing any clear symptoms. Unfortunately, there are so many cases of people who did not know they had it until they suffered a heart attack or had a stroke. Measuring your blood pressure regularly and going to the doctor if the values look abnormal will enable you to diagnose the condition in its early stages, before it leads to complications.
For a healthy individual with no history of heart disease, measuring the blood pressure once a year is sufficient. However, people with a history of heart disease and existing blood pressure issues, measurements should be done more often, even weekly, to reduce risks. Moreover, there are also certain categories of people who should be particularly careful. For example, pregnant women should know how to spot the high blood pressure early pregnancy symptoms. Also, people over 65, who are more prone to chronic heart conditions, should try to use a sphygmomanometer more often. Unfortunately, one in five people suffers from high blood pressure without knowing it, so everyone should be cautious. Last, but not least, remember that taking these measures is not a preventive measure, it only signals a problem. To prevent or delay the appearance of high blood pressure and heart disease, you should try to maintain a healthy lifestyle: have a healthy diet, exercise regularly, quit smoking, get lots of sleep and avoid stress as much as possible.
To find out how to check your blood pressure and find out about the high blood pressure early pregnancy symptoms, please visit these links!
http://www.101bp.com/detecting-high-blood-pressure/
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