Medical App & Medical Advice with Hello Doctor

Pumped: When is high blood pressure a good thing?

Imagine that you need to get somewhere in a hurry and all you have is a bicycle – the most important thing to check is your tyres, right? Too soft and you’re going to be pedalling for nothing, but too hard and you could get a puncture in the middle of your journey. Blood pressure is like that.

Just right

Okay, if you’re in a seriously stressful situation where you need to protect yourself (or someone else), then a spike in your blood pressure is exactly what you need! In that moment, everything in your body is working together to save you, pushing more blood and oxygen through your system to make it happen.

While blood pressure increases when you are under stress, it should only be for a flight or fight moment! To stay in that state for longer than you need to, is bad for you!

Too high

Think about how air is pushed into a car tyre under pressure, in the same way, the blood inside you is under pressure all the time to keep it moving. If you pump more air into a tyre, it gets harder, and it works the same way with your blood: if you increase the blood pressure the force on all your arteries carrying the blood around increases.

Of course, if blood pressure rises too high and the artery that the blood is flowing through has a weak spot, it could go `pop`! This is how some strokes happen, and it’s just one great reason to control your blood pressure.

Another good reason to keep your BP in the healthy range: high blood pressure means that your heart must pump harder, and the arteries are under greater strain as they carry blood. If this carries on for a long time, your heart and arteries may no longer work as well as they should. It can also affect other organs such as the kidneys and brain.

Too low

Blood pressure can also get too low – just like a flat tyre. If this happens, your blood isn’t get around your body as it should, and you can end up feeling dizzy and ill. If you are feeling these symptoms, it’s time to see your doctor for a check-up!

How to keep your blood pressure just right

  • Get moving for 30 minutes every day: dance, run, walk, swim – do anything you enjoy that gets you going.
  • Eat good things like fresh fruit, vegetables, nuts and fish: it doesn’t have to just be salad, you know you love sweet mangoes and strawberries, and what’s wrong with lovely fresh fish?
  • Quit smoking – it’s so out of fashion, smells awful and costs too much money. Ditch it.

Take care of your blood pressure and many of life’s health issues will be solved before they even begin. Have a wonderful journey!

Source: http://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/5-misconceptions-about-hypertension