Getting your blood pressure checked often is one of the best ways to prevent a heart attack.
Normal blood pressure is the 120 over 80 range. The first number, 120, is the systolic number.
"And that is the pressure that your arteries feel when your heart is in the middle of the beat, when it's squeezing, so that's a higher pressure. The diastolic pressure, the lower number is the pressure that your arteries experience when your heart is at rest, or between beats,” explains Dr. Kimberly Lund from Castle Medical Center.
Dr. Lund says if either of those numbers is substantially out of the range, there is cause for concern.
But she adds doctors like to measure blood pressure over a period of time - say, a week - to establish an average.
High blood pressure, or hypertension, isn't something you notice on your own.
"Many people don't experience any symptoms at all when they have high blood pressure and the first time you may know about it is when you present with a heart attack or stroke,” she said.
If you discover that you have high blood pressure, the most important thing you can do is alter your lifestyle.
"Reducing salt in your diet, increasing exercise, losing weight if you're overweight, reducing stress, stopping smoking, that's the cornerstone of treatment. However, if those things are not enough, blood pressure medicine is also important,” she explains.
If you have seen TV commercials for some blood pressure medications, you may be concerned about the possible side effects.
Dr. Lund says talk to your primary care physician about the different medicines. "Don't be afraid of it. There's probably one that works for you. Lifestyle modifications are still very important because they will reduce the amount of blood pressure medicine you need and work with your blood pressure medicine in order to prevent heart attack.”
