How High Can Blood Pressure Go

How Is High Blood Pressure Diagnosed

To figure out your blood pressure rate, your health care provider takes blood pressure readings at different times. You need more than 1 reading because blood pressure changes depending on what you are doing and varies during the day. For example, your blood pressure can increase when you are nervous or in a hurry.

If your blood pressure is high while with your health care provider but normal otherwise, you may just be nervous. This effect is common. Even people already being treated for high blood pressure go through this.

What matters is what happens to your blood pressure outside your health care providers office. If you have high blood pressure, you should use a home blood pressure monitor. Ask your health care provider how to use the monitor correctly.

What Is Your Blood Pressure When You Die

The lower number indicates how much pressure the blood is exerting against artery walls while the heart is at rest between beats. When an individual is approaching death, the systolic blood pressure will typically drop below 95mm Hg. However, this number can vary greatly as some individuals will always run low.

Regular Blood Pressure Checks If Diagnosed With High Blood Pressure

If you are diagnosed with high blood pressure, your blood pressure will need to be closely monitored until it is brought under control.

After your blood pressure has been controlled, your GP or practice nurse will measure your blood pressure at agreed regular intervals .

It is important you attend these appointments to ensure your blood pressure is being maintained within an acceptable range.

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High Blood Pressure Treatment

The best way to lower blood pressure begins with changes you can make to your lifestyle to help lower your blood pressure and reduce your risk of heart disease. Additionally, your doctor may prescribe medicine to lower your blood pressure. These are called antihypertensive medicines.

The goal of treatment is to reduce your blood pressure to normal levels. Your doctor may prescribe medicine thats easy to take and has few, if any, side effects. This treatment is highly successful. If your blood pressure can only be controlled with medicine, youll need to take the medicine for the rest of your life. It is common to need more than one medicine to help control your blood pressure. Dont stop taking the medicine without talking with your doctor. Otherwise, you may increase your risk of having a stroke or heart attack.

Masturbation Safe With Controlled High Bp But Can Be A Problem For High

If your blood pressure is being kept in check with lifestyle changes, antihypertensive drugs, or a combination of both, you are considered to be in the low-risk group. If thats the case, its safe for you to carry on with sexual activity, including masturbation. Yes, masturbation like sex will cause a slight rise in your blood pressure during the act, but it shouldnt present any problems if your hypertension and cardiovascular health are otherwise in check.

On the other hand, if you have a hypertension problem that is not in check, you are in the high-risk category and may have to be a little cautious. You may be at risk of a cardiac or vascular event like a heart attack or stroke from the blood pressure spike, excitement, and other physiological changes experienced during the stimulation. How do you find out if you fall into this category? Get your blood pressure checked and diagnostic tests done by your doctor to know for sure there are no shortcuts here. Your doctor will also be able to tell you whether it is safe to masturbate or have sex given your condition. If youre considered at high risk of problems, youll need to first treat your high blood pressure and any other related cardiac disorders before you get the go-ahead to fly solo.4

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Signs And Symptoms Of A Hypertensive Crisis

A higher blood pressure reading as described above may be accompanied by one or more of the following symptoms. If you develop any of the signs above it would be a good idea to check your blood pressure to make sure its not in a hypertensive crisis .

Severe Headache

Severe Anxiety

Hypertensive Urgency

A hypertensive urgency is a part of hypertensive crisis where your blood pressure numbers are high, over 180/120, but its a situation where you have to call a doctor and NOT go to the hospital. And believe me, even though the blood pressure numbers in this range are scary, its a huge relief that youre only calling a doctor instead of rushing to the hospital.

A hypertensive urgency is when your blood pressure numbers, as described above, fall into the hypertensive category but you are not experiencing any of the symptoms discussed earlier: chest pain, shortness of breath, back pain, numbness/weakness, change in vision or difficulty breathing.

In this situation you will contact your doctor immediately and be guided by what they advise you. Normally, your healthcare provider may have you adjust or add medications but rarely requires hospitalization.

Risks Of High Blood Pressure

If your blood pressure is too high, it puts extra strain on your blood vessels, heart and other organs, such as the brain, kidneys and eyes.

Persistent high blood pressure can increase your risk of a number of serious and potentially life-threatening health conditions, such as:

• have a relative with high blood pressure
• are of black African or black Caribbean descent
• live in a deprived area

Making healthy lifestyle changes can sometimes help reduce your chances of getting high blood pressure and help lower your blood pressure if it’s already high.

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How Do You Make Lifestyle Changes

Making any kind of change in the way you live your daily life is like being on a path. The path leads to success. Here are the first steps on that path:

Have your own reason for making a change. If you do it because someone else wants you to, you’re less likely to have success. When you have high blood pressure, the reason for making lifestyle changes is clear: to lower your blood pressure. If you don’t feel ready now, learn more about high blood pressure and the damage it can do. When you truly want to make changes, you’re ready for the next step.

Set goals. Include long-term goals as well as short-term goals that you can measure easily. Your doctor can help you figure out what your long-term goals should be for your blood pressure. Short-term goals are the small steps you take, week by week, to improve your health.

Measure improvements to your health. Before you make lifestyle changes, ask your doctor to check your blood pressure. Then, as you start to make changes, have your blood pressure checked often, and keep track of the numbers. You can buy a home blood pressure monitor that is easy to use.

Think about what might get in your way, and prepare for slip-ups. By thinking about these barriers now, you can plan ahead for how to deal with them if they happen. Use a personal action plan to write down your barriers and backup plans.

Get support from your family, your doctor, and your friends. Tell them about your long-term and short-term goals and how they can help.

High Blood Pressure During Pregnancy

Women with hypertension can deliver healthy babies despite having the condition. But it can be dangerous to both mother and baby if its not monitored closely and managed during the pregnancy.

Women with high blood pressure are more likely to develop complications. For example, pregnant women with hypertension may experience decreased kidney function. Babies born to mothers with hypertension may have a low birth weight or be born prematurely.

Some women may develop hypertension during their pregnancies. Several types of high blood pressure problems can develop. The condition often reverses itself once the baby is born. Developing hypertension during pregnancy may increase your risk for developing hypertension later in life.

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What To Do If You Suspect A Hypertensive Crisis

If you suspect that you or someone else is experiencing a hypertensive crisis, these are the steps that should be taken:

Check your blood pressure.

If your blood pressure is elevated to 180/120 or higher and you ARE NOT experiencing any severe symptoms, wait 5 minutes and take it again. Try to relax because anxiety can cause falsely elevated blood pressure readings.

If the repeat BP measurement is the same or higher then you should seek medical attention. Call your Primary Care Provider first for instructions on medication adjustment and/or follow-up. If you cannot reach them, go to the Emergency Room.

If your blood pressure is elevated to 180/120 or higher and you ARE experiencing warning symptoms then do not wait to recheck your blood pressure and instead you should go immediately to the Emergency Room for evaluation.

Diagnosing High Blood Pressure

Diagnosing hypertension is as simple as taking a blood pressure reading. Most doctors offices check blood pressure as part of a routine visit. If you dont receive a blood pressure reading at your next appointment, request one.

If your blood pressure is elevated, your doctor may request you have more readings over the course of a few days or weeks. A hypertension diagnosis is rarely given after just one reading. Your doctor needs to see evidence of a sustained problem. Thats because your environment can contribute to increased blood pressure, such as the stress you may feel by being at the doctors office. Also, blood pressure levels change throughout the day.

If your blood pressure remains high, your doctor will likely conduct more tests to rule out underlying conditions. These tests can include:

• cholesterol screening and other blood tests
• test of your hearts electrical activity with an electrocardiogram
• ultrasound of your heart or kidneys

These tests can help your doctor identify any secondary issues causing your elevated blood pressure. They can also look at the effects high blood pressure may have had on your organs.

During this time, your doctor may begin treating your hypertension. Early treatment may reduce your risk of lasting damage.

Two numbers create a blood pressure reading:

Five categories define blood pressure readings for adults:

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Do You Have High Blood Pressure What The Guidelines Say

Your blood pressure is an important part of your overall health.

But what is it? Blood pressure is the force of the blood pushing against the walls of your blood vessels. If it is too high, it can put a strain on your heart and blood vessels, and can lead to increased risk of heart disease and stroke.

Your blood pressure is measured using a device called a sphygmomanometer that cuff that goes around your arm. The measurement then indicates a unit of pressure known as millimeters of mercury . It shows how hard your heart is working to pump blood.

Your blood pressure is written as two numbers. The top number, known as the systolic pressure, measures the force of the blood against the artery walls when the heart contracts to pump blood out. It is working its hardest at that point.

The bottom number is the diastolic pressure, which shows the force of the blood when the heart is resting in between contractions. That number is lower.

Doctors use standard guidelines to determine if your blood pressure falls into a range known as normal. If it is too high and is consistently higher than the guidelines, it known as hypertension.

But Masturbation Cannot Cause Hypertension

If youre worried about whether masturbation can cause hypertension, the answer to that is clear. It does not. What it can do, like sex, is to temporarily elevate your blood pressure, as you have already seen. But that never translates to a blood pressure problem on its own.3 Having a pre-existing hypertension issue doesnt make the act unsafe either. More on that next.

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How High Can Blood Pressure Go

• Giraffe Animal with the Highest Blood Pressure

If you have experienced high blood pressure, you might wonder what the maximum limit of blood pressure is. Before that, let us first try to understand blood pressure as a concept.

Blood pressure is the force with which the heart pumps blood to maintain regular blood flow through the body. This force exerts pressure on the walls of the blood vessels, primarily the arteries.

Your blood pressure elevates when the force is excessive. Blood pressure is one of the four vital signs the others are respiratory rate, oxygen saturation, and body temperature, which indicate the vital functions of the body.

Doctor measuring blood pressure.

High Blood Pressure And Women

A common misconception is that high blood pressure rarely affects women. However, nearly half of all adults with high blood pressure are women. In fact, women that are just 20 pounds or more overweight, have a family history of HBP or have reached menopause are known to increase a womans risk.

While high blood pressure isn’t directly related to gender, throughout a womans life, health issues like pregnancy, pregnancy prevention and menopause can increase the risk of developing high blood pressure.

Women represent almost 52% of deaths from high blood pressure.

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High Blood Pressure Chart

The chart below shows measures for normal and high blood pressure, according to the American Heart Association .

Doctors measure blood pressure in millimeters of mercury .

Systolic pressure measures the pressure in the arteries as the heart contracts and is the top number on a blood pressure reading. Diastolic, which is the lower number, represents the blood pressure when the heart is resting between beats.

Systolic

• congenital conditions, such as Cushings syndrome, acromegaly, or pheochromocytoma

Sometimes, there is no apparent cause. In this case, a doctor will diagnose primary hypertension.

Consuming a high fat diet, carrying excess weight, drinking a lot of alcohol, smoking tobacco, and the use of some medications also increase the risk.

Treatment will depend on several factors, including:

• how high the blood pressure is
• the risk of cardiovascular disease or a stroke

The doctor will recommend different treatments as blood pressure increases. For slightly high blood pressure, they may suggest making lifestyle changes and monitoring the blood pressure.

If blood pressure is high, they will recommend medication. The options may change over time, according to how severe the hypertension is and whether complications arise, such as kidney disease. Some people may need a combination of several different medications.

About High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is usually defined as having a sustained blood pressure of 140/90mmHg or above.

The line between normal and raised blood pressure is not fixed and depends on your individual circumstances. However, most doctors agree that the ideal blood pressure for a physically healthy person is around 120/80mmHg.

A normal blood pressure reading is classed as less than 130/80mmHg.

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High Blood Pressure Symptoms You Shouldnt Ignore

Caregiver Duties Aging & Health

If youre worried about developing high blood pressure or youve already been diagnosed with this condition, you may be wondering what symptoms to watch out for.

While the symptoms described here may indicate a high blood pressure crisis, its also very important to understand that a persons blood pressure can be dangerously high and yet there are no symptoms at all, notes retired emergency physician Ben Hippen. This is why high blood pressure is sometimes called the silent killer.

For this reason, its important to monitor your blood pressure often. When youre at your doctors office, or even at the pharmacy, take a few minutes to stick your arm in the cuff and get a reading. If you can afford it and will actually use it, a home blood pressure monitor is a worthwhile investment.

Secondary High Blood Pressure

Some cases of high blood pressure are the result of underlying factors or cause and this is known as secondary high blood pressure.

Underlying factors include:

• kidney conditions, such as a kidney infection, or kidney disease
• narrowing of the arteries
• hormonal conditions, such as Cushing’s syndrome
• conditions that affect the bodys tissue, such as lupus
• medication, such as the oral contraceptive pill, or the type of painkillers that are known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs , such as ibuprofen
• recreational drugs, such as cocaine, amphetamines and crystal meth

Occasionally, a rise in blood pressure can result from taking herbal remedies, such as herbal supplements.

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Try Meditation Or Yoga

Mindfulness and meditation, including transcendental meditation, have long been used and studied as methods to reduce stress. A 2012 study notes that one university program in Massachusetts has had more than 19,000 people participate in a meditation and mindfulness program to reduce stress .

Yoga, which commonly involves breathing control, posture, and meditation techniques, can also be effective in reducing stress and blood pressure.

A 2013 review on yoga and blood pressure found an average blood pressure decrease of 3.62 mm Hg diastolic and 4.17 mm Hg systolic when compared to those who didnt exercise. Studies of yoga practices that included breath control, postures, and meditation were nearly twice as effective as yoga practices that didnt include all three of these elements .

How High Can Blood Pressure Go Before Stroke

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