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Injury and Health Specialist Whetstone, North London. Providing Pain Relief Through Osteopathy and Rehab

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Understanding Blood Pressure- Everything You Need To Know

September 11, 2018 By ashley Leave a Comment

taking blood pressure

Did you know that high blood pressure affects more than 1 in 4 adults in the UK (according to the latest Government statistics)?

High blood pressure is known as “The Silent Killer” because it is often undiagnosed due to a lack of obvious symptoms, but high blood pressure was responsible for approximately 75,000 deaths in 2015 according to the Global Burden Of Disease Report.

But what is high blood pressure and how does it affect someone?

Well in order to understand the severity of high blood pressure, you first need to understand what blood pressure is.

The Circulatory System

The circulatory system is your body’s network of blood vessels, your heart and your lungs.
Picture of the heart and blood vessels
The purpose of this system is threefold;

  1. Transportation of oxygen, nutrients, hormones, carbon dioxide and waste products to and from specific tissues around the body.
  2. Protection against pathogens.
  3. Cooling the body by allowing heat transfer out of the body.

In order for blood to be transported around the body the heart needs to act as a pump. Each time the heart contracts it pushes blood around the body.

So What Is Blood Pressure?

Every time your heart beats it pushes blood through your arteries. Think of this like water flowing through a hose pipe which is attached to a pump. Every time the pump pushes water through the hose that water flows further along.

Now if your heart was at rest and not pumping there would be a certain amount of blood within your blood vessels. That volume of blood would be exerting a certain amount of pressure on the walls of your arteries and veins. As your heart contracts to push blood along that blood is forced along the vessels and causes an increase in the pressure that pushes against the blood vessel walls.

These 2 different pressures are what makes up a blood pressure reading and they are known as Systolic and Diastolic pressure.

Systolic pressure is the maximum pressure exerted on the arteries as the heart is pushing the blood through. This is always the highest pressure because the force is at its highest.

Diastolic pressure is the pressure in the arteries when the heart relaxes to fill back up with blood. This is always the lowest pressure because there is no additional force being applied from the heart.

Blood pressure is measured in milimeters of mercury (MmHg).

So when you take a blood pressure reading it should read as BigNumber/SmallNumber or we say it as BigNumber over SmallNumber.

An example (also the optimal reading) would be 120/80 MmHg or 120 over 80.

Low blood pressure would be less than 90/60 MmHg.
A normal blood pressure range would be between 90-120/60-80 MmHg.
A pre high blood pressure range would be 120-140/80-90 MmHg
High blood pressure is anything over 140/90 MmHg

So Why Is High Blood Pressure So Bad?

Your arteries are designed to withstand normal pressure exerted by the heart contracting. However, if the pressure becomes too high the pressure can lead to damaging the walls of the arteries.

As a way of repairing this damage your body patches it up by depositing substances such as cholesterol, fat, calcium and collagen. This leads to a build up of a fatty plaque which eventually causes narrowing of the blood vessels.

This narrowing of the blood vessels leads to reduced blood flow downstream which can lead to cell death. If this process happens in the heart it can lead to heart attacks, or if it happens in the brain it can cause strokes.

Consistent high blood pressure also puts strain on the blood vessels in your kidneys which can lead to kidney damage and ultimately kidney failure.

It is also possible that the high pressure within the arteries can cause rupture of the vessel walls. This can happen in the brain’s arteries which can also lead to the onset of a stroke.

What Should You Do?

Check Your Blood Pressure

The first thing you can do is get your blood pressure checked. You can do this at your GP’s practice or you can buy a home blood pressure monitor and check your blood pressure at home.

We recommend the Omron M3 Intellisense blood pressure monitor (see the picture to the right). It’s the same one we use at Precision Wellbeing and it’s super easy to use. There are of course more expensive ones but this will do you just fine.

DISCLAIMER: The above link is an affiliate link, and at no additional cost to you, we will earn a small commission if you decide to make a purchase. Please understand that we have experience with the product and we only recommend it because it is useful, not because of the small commissions we make. Please do not buy this product unless you feel you need it or that it will help you.

Improve Your Lifestyle

High blood pressure can be lowered naturally through diet, exercise and other lifestyle modifications but the extent that you can get change depends on how high your blood pressure was to begin with.

If your blood pressure is high it may mean you need to begin taking medication prescribed by your doctor to help you lower your blood pressure.

Ideally you would want to stop smoking and drinking and lose weight if you are overweight.

If you’re not currently exercising you should begin adding in cardiovascular exercise to your week such as brisk walking, cycling, swimming or dancing. Ideally you should be doing a minimum of 150 minutes a week (according to the NHS guidelines).

If you are eating processed foods then switching to more natural and unprocessed foods can also help.

Lastly if you are feeling overwhelmed by stress then find a way to help you relax. You can try things like, taking a bath, listening to relaxing music, meditation (there are some great apps out there such as Headspace or Calm) or simply just doing breathing exercises.

Do You Need Help?

Are you worried about your high blood pressure? Would you like to improve your diet or lifestyle to prevent high blood pressure? Well don’t worry, we can help you with this.

At Precision Wellbeing we have all the resources you need to help you improve your diet, your fitness or your lifestyle.

Simply get in touch with us and we can help guide you back to optimal health.

Just call us on 0203 356 7060 or email us as info@precisionwellbeing.co.uk

Stay healthy!

Ashley

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Read Our Reviews

*DISCLAIMER: The below reviews are customer reviews and are not necessarily reflective of typical results. Results may vary on an individual basis.

Google Rating
5.0
Precision Wellbeing Group
Precision Wellbeing Group
5.0
Paul Branch
Paul Branch
11:55 22 Oct 18
I went to see Ashley with a bad back that left me unable to run, train or even walk properly. His help and treatments have very quickly got me back to normal and he's given me a lot of great advice and guidance for maintaining my fitness long term. I've met a few of the team there and everyone is very friendly, welcoming and professional. It's a great setup and I couldn't recommend him more highly.
Jamie Dunn
Jamie Dunn
11:47 13 Aug 18
Really enjoyed training with Ashley – I'd barely set foot inside a gym before but over 6-8 weeks he taught me a variety of exercises for the whole body and gave me the confidence to train on my own, as well as offering nutritional advice and helping me work to improve a knee problem. Everyone at Precision Wellbeing is friendly and welcoming too, and it's a really nice space to exercise in. Thanks!
SJ S
SJ S
13:10 27 Sep 18
Could not recommend the services offered by Precision Wellbeing Group more; I read some of the other great reviews on here before booking an appointment, and if anything the service I received exceeded my expectations. I saw Ashley for an initial consultation and then several follow-up sessions for muscle pain in my back; I was able to book my first consultation same day, and was able to book flexibly around my work schedule for all subsequent appointments. Ashley was extremely professional and highly knowledgeable, with a friendly conversational manner that helped to put me at ease at a time when I was suffering from quite a lot of pain. From the first appointment I noticed an improvement, but I was also impressed by how thorough the assessment and follow-up process was; it really helped me to feel more relaxed and reassured about my recovery. I've really noticed how both the treatment/exercises during sessions and recommendations for home have helped significantly with my back. I also feel skilled up with the exercises and recommendations I need to build my strength up and avoid re-injury moving forward. Overall, a great service that I would recommend to anyone.
Ben Freedman
Ben Freedman
15:15 18 Jun 18
Highly recommend. Michael has been absolutely superb. I have been seeing him due to a prolapsed disc and sciatica down my left leg. I have seen many back specialists in the past and have to say Michael is up there with the best. Very learned, very educated and informative and a pleasure to be around
Tamara Smith
Tamara Smith
12:27 31 Jul 18
I couldn't turn my head left or right for 2 weeks. One session with Ashley and my mobility is back, I understand where the issue originated and what postural/habit changes I need to make. I'm sending all my friends to him - thank you!
See All Reviews Write a review
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Google Reviews

Precision Wellbeing Group
Precision Wellbeing Group
5.0
powered by Google
Paul Branch
Paul Branch
11:55 22 Oct 18
I went to see Ashley with a bad back that left me unable to run, train or even walk properly. His help and treatments have very quickly got me back to normal and he's given me a lot of great advice and guidance for maintaining my fitness long term. I've met a few of the team there and everyone is very friendly, welcoming and professional. It's a great setup and I couldn't recommend him more highly.
Jamie Dunn
Jamie Dunn
11:47 13 Aug 18
Really enjoyed training with Ashley – I'd barely set foot inside a gym before but over 6-8 weeks he taught me a variety of exercises for the whole body and gave me the confidence to train on my own, as well as offering nutritional advice and helping me work to improve a knee problem. Everyone at Precision Wellbeing is friendly and welcoming too, and it's a really nice space to exercise in. Thanks!
SJ S
SJ S
13:10 27 Sep 18
Could not recommend the services offered by Precision Wellbeing Group more; I read some of the other great reviews on here before booking an appointment, and if anything the service I received exceeded my expectations. I saw Ashley for an initial consultation and then several follow-up sessions for muscle pain in my back; I was able to book my first consultation same day, and was able to book flexibly around my work schedule for all subsequent appointments. Ashley was extremely professional and highly knowledgeable, with a friendly conversational manner that helped to put me at ease at a time when I was suffering from quite a lot of pain. From the first appointment I noticed an improvement, but I was also impressed by how thorough the assessment and follow-up process was; it really helped me to feel more relaxed and reassured about my recovery. I've really noticed how both the treatment/exercises during sessions and recommendations for home have helped significantly with my back. I also feel skilled up with the exercises and recommendations I need to build my strength up and avoid re-injury moving forward. Overall, a great service that I would recommend to anyone.
Ben Freedman
Ben Freedman
15:15 18 Jun 18
Highly recommend. Michael has been absolutely superb. I have been seeing him due to a prolapsed disc and sciatica down my left leg. I have seen many back specialists in the past and have to say Michael is up there with the best. Very learned, very educated and informative and a pleasure to be around
Tamara Smith
Tamara Smith
12:27 31 Jul 18
I couldn't turn my head left or right for 2 weeks. One session with Ashley and my mobility is back, I understand where the issue originated and what postural/habit changes I need to make. I'm sending all my friends to him - thank you!
See All Reviews

*DISCLAIMER: The above reviews are customer reviews and are not necessarily reflective of typical results. Results may vary on an individual basis.

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Pinnacle Fitness and Health
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Whetstone
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N20 0EX

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