While high blood pressure is usually called the silent killer because it usually sneaks up on a person but that doesn’t mean that there are not warning signs that you should be watching your blood pressure. It’s easy to check your blood pressure and people should do this regularly even if they don’t show any bad symptoms. What follows are some possible signs, symptoms and risk factors associated with high blood pressure.
There is unfortunately much controversy about what high blood pressure is. Numbers that represent systolic pressure and diastolic pressure are measured to come up with blood pressure. A blood pressure reading of 140/90 or higher is referred to by most experts as hypertension even though many do not agree on what lower numbers mean. Your blood pressure would be considered normal if you for instance had a reading of 130/85. However, experts now call this prehypertension and state that blood pressure is only healthy below 120/80. Your doctor may have his or her own opinion, but in general if your blood pressure is anywhere above the 120/80 level you should be monitoring it and being careful about your diet and exercising more. There are lots of people who experience the symptoms of high blood pressure even when they do not actually have the condition. This is because blood pressure is always changing, and naturally increases when you are exercising or experiencing an emotional high or low. This is why it’s difficult to figure out if you have high blood pressure when you only have one reading done. If you are monitoring your blood pressure on your own, you should make sure you rest for a few minutes first, and haven’t had any caffeine in the last hour or so. Even if a doctor takes your blood pressure, he or she has to do several readings to get an accurate assessment. In spite of the fact that blood pressure levels always vary, having “healthy” blood pressure means that your reading is always within a normal range of numbers.
In a few cases, anemia is a sign that one has developed high blood pressure. Anemia is a condition where your body isn’t producing enough healthy red blood cells. Symptoms of anemia may include unusual fatigue, depression or shortness of breath. This condition, if mild, can only be found through tests by a medical professional. So see your doctor if you have any of these symptoms be sure to have your doctor check for anemia and high blood pressure.
Life threatening health issues can result from high blood pressure that is ignored. It is easy enough to treat if caught early, so be sure to check your blood pressure often. High blood pressure is one of the leading causes of health problems worldwide, and hopefully these symptoms will help you detect it early.
