May is High Blood Pressure Education Month. High Blood pressure is when the pressure in the arteries is higher than what it should be. Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against your blood vessel walls. Normal blood pressure is below 120/80 mm Hg, 120 being systolic, the pressure when the heart beats and 80 being diastolic, the pressure when the heart rests between beats.

The danger of high blood pressure is that it normally doesn’t show any signs or symptoms. According to the CDC about 75 million American adults suffer from high blood pressure. Some factors that can put you at risk of developing high blood pressure are diabetes, being obese or overweight, high cholesterol, unhealthy diet, smoking or exposure to secondhand smoke, physical inactivity, family history.

Having high blood pressure puts you at risk of suffering from heart disease and stroke. If you have high blood pressure and are aware of it, it is important to take your medications, along with avoiding smoking, limiting alcohol intake, maintaining a healthy weight, eating a healthy diet, and being physically active. Contact us if you would like a second opinion about your diagnosis, to help you live a healthy life and have peace of mind.