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It is true and accepted that the blood pressure goes up when the person is under stress or strain. This stress blood pressure is related to the way the stress is managed by the patient. Some of them do not really bother about the way they are getting stressed and by the load of work that is on them. In these people the stress blood pressure is almost non existent. Whereas, this is not the case with the other people for whom any change in the work condition induces stress. Not that they mean any harm but that they are the people who get stressed all through for reasons only known to them. This also causes stress blood pressure which could become quite acute.
Why would stress blood pressure strike? There is no rule that says the stress blood pressure should strike at a given moment. As a matter of fact, stress blood pressure would add to the problems a person might have with the blood pressure. Under normal conditions, stress might increase the blood pressure but might not really aggravate. But when the person is already with a higher blood pressure, the issue will be escalated when the person is under stress and strain. It has been clinically observed that when a person is subjected to stress, he generally tends to have high blood pressure. This could result in dizziness and other symptoms which are associated with a rising blood pressure.
A rise in stress blood pressure can result in cardiovascular diseases as well as in strokes. It is therefore, a known fact that the pressure is directly linked to the increase in stress levels. Mental stress which is a component of most of the high profile jobs of today with little or almost no physical work result in a continuing rise in the blood pressure. Lack of physical work also causes abnormal work related problems. Strict deadlines and high demanding jobs are the major sources of stress blood pressure in men. And it has been primarily attributed to the men folk rather than on the women.
A rise in blood pressure is noticed due to the habits that a person has. Typical contributors are bad diet conditions, drinking alcohol, eating too much salt, being obese and not exercising the body properly. But all these are contributors. Similarly stress is also a major contributor. Stress blood pressure happens when the body keeps responding to mental stress conditions. In work place, these stress conditions may become chronic and continuous exposure to such pressures and stress conditions could slowly degenerate the working of the heart and the arteries. This would result in stress blood pressure increase affecting the overall condition of the body.
It has been found that there is a consistent pattern in ill-health due to stress blood pressure and other job related stresses. Though, there may not be a direct cause associated with stress blood pressure and the stress from the work, it is an immediate source.
Our lives have become fuller and fuller, and the temptations of modern convenience living has taken its toll on many millions of people in industrialized nations with high blood pressure growing year on year. It is also a sad truth that many people are unaware that they are suffering with high blood pressure. The good news is that there are methods for measuring high blood pressure, which can either be carried out by a professional or at home using a home monitor.
It is recommended that everyone have their blood pressure checked regularly, but especially those that fall into the following categories:
- Aged over 35
- Have a history, or a family history of high blood pressure
- Have a history of kidney or heart problems
- Pregnant women.
The two most common ways of measuring blood pressure are either using a sphygmomanometer or an automatic machine. Below we will take a closer look at how to use a sphygmomanometer and an automatic machine.
1. Sphygmomanometer
This is one of the oldest pieces of equipment to be used for measuring blood pressure, using a column of mercury (encased in a glass tube). This is a piece of equipment you will regularly see sat on your doctor's desk, or sometimes in the corner of the room gathering dust.
It works by a cuff being wrapped around the person's arm (usually half way between the shoulder and elbow joints). This is then pumped fully of air until it begins to constrict the arm and the arteries in the arm. Your doctor will then take a stethoscope and place this in the crook of the elbow to listen for the sound of blood going through the constricted arteries and as these sounds are heard they will start to take a reading on the mercury column. By doing this they are able to provide not just themselves but you with an accurate reading of your blood pressure level.
2. Automatic Machines
As with the sphygmomanometer a cuff is placed around the arm, but instead of the cuff being pumped with air by hand the machine does it automatically and listens to the sounds at the same time. It will then provide you with a read out which is normally displayed on a small screen on the front of the machine as to what your blood pressure is.
The great thing about using an automatic machine for measuring high blood pressure levels is that you can do it all from the convenience of your own home. This can be beneficial for those who suffer with anxiety, or are to ill to go the doctor.
Generally normal blood pressure would be considered as anything below 120/80. The lower the blood pressure the better, unless a person suffers from low blood pressure which can sometime lead to complications.
A person is Prehypertentive is when the blood pressure is above normal levels but not high enough to be considered as high blood pressure, this is within the range of between 120 and 139 for the top number, or between 80 and 89 for the bottom number. The risk of having high blood pressure later is increased if a person is diagnosed with prehypertension unless action is taken to reduce blood pressure.
High blood pressure is when someone has a reading of 140/90 mmHg or higher, although both numbers are important and there will be concern if either the upper or lower numbers reach these figures.
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