Blood pressure monitoring is critical for maintaining your heart's health and other vital organs of the body. While hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is a serious health concern, low blood pressure can also indicate underlying health conditions.
If not monitored and maintained properly, both high or low blood pressure levels can pose several health risks. To fully understand how blood pressure affects your health, you must understand the differences between high and low blood pressure, and this is what the post is all about. So let's get started.
Understanding High Blood Pressure – Hypertension
By definition, your blood pressure is on the higher side if you get a reading of 130/80 or higher. Hypertension is one of the most common health conditions in Australia and worldwide. Statistics indicate that 1 in 3 Australians over the age of 18 have high blood pressure. The condition is more common among men, overweight and inactive individuals, or people who are heavy smokers or drinkers. If high blood pressure, diabetes, and cardiovascular diseases run in your family, you must monitor your blood pressure proactively and watch out for the following symptoms.
- Throbbing headache,
- Fatigue,
- Disorientation and vision problems,
- Difficulty in breathing,
- Heaviness in the chest,
- Erratic heartbeat and
- Pounding in the ears, chest, and neck.
Hypertension increases the risk of several other chronic health conditions, including stroke, diabetes, cardiovascular diseases, and conjunctive heart failure.
Fortunately, you can control the situation simply by adopting a few lifestyle changes, including an active lifestyle, using stress management techniques, maintaining a low sodium diet, and limiting caffeine consumption.
Understanding Low Blood Pressure – Hypotension
Hypotension is a condition when your blood pressure measures 90/60 or lower. While most people may not think of hypotension as a serious health condition, you must proactively monitor the blood pressure if you experience the following symptoms.
- Dizziness,
- Lightheadedness,
- Weakness,
- Fatigue,
- Nausea and
- Fainting
Low blood pressure indicates that the blood is not fully flowing to the brain, arteries, and other vital organs. Hypotension may be closely linked to hormonal disorders such as thyroid and diabetes. Moreover, it can be caused by some OTC medications, heat exhaustion, and widening of the blood vessels.
To maintain your blood pressure, you can always incorporate some lifestyle changes, including moderate exercise and staying hydrated.
The Difference Between High and Low Blood Pressure
High and low blood pressure affects the body in different ways, and the best way to understand the effects of varying blood pressure on the human body is to monitor the blood pressure proactively. Moreover, every time you measure your blood pressure, make sure you take multiple readings to ensure accuracy.
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