High Blood Pressure

High Blood Pressure services offered in Homestead, FL

High blood pressure (hypertension) is a condition where your blood pressure can reach dangerously high levels without you even realizing it. If you haven’t had a blood pressure check lately, visit the experts at Cardiovascular Wellness Center in Homestead, Florida. They have considerable expertise in diagnosing and treating high blood pressure and preventing serious outcomes like heart attack and stroke. Call Cardiovascular Wellness Center to schedule a blood pressure check or book an appointment online today.

What is high blood pressure?

High blood pressure means your arteries are damaged due to the force of blood pumping through them. It may develop as a result of having an underlying condition like diabetes. You’re also more likely to get high blood pressure as you age.

High blood pressure is often due to a high-fat diet, lack of exercise, and excess body weight. High cholesterol or an excess of other fats can cause hyperlipidemia, which leads to high blood pressure.

One of the most troubling aspects of high blood pressure is that you’ll likely be unaware there’s a problem, as the condition causes no symptoms. You could have dangerously high blood pressure and feel fine until you suffer a potentially life-threatening stroke or heart attack.

It’s essential to undergo regular blood pressure checks so you can tackle high blood pressure before having a medical crisis.

What happens during a blood pressure check?

A blood pressure check is quick and straightforward. Your Cardiovascular Wellness Center provider wraps a blood pressure cuff around the upper arm’s bicep and then inflates it. They take one reading as your heart beats (systolic pressure) and one in between beats (diastolic pressure).

These two readings are your blood pressure measurement. Healthy blood pressure has a systolic reading of 120 or below and a diastolic reading of 80 or below. Raised blood pressure is between 121 and 140 systolic and 81 and 90 diastolic.

If your blood pressure reading is over 140 systolic or over 90 diastolic, you have hypertension that requires urgent action. A reading exceeding 160 systolic or 100 diastolic indicates dangerously high blood pressure.

How is high blood pressure treated?

Because the chief causes of high blood pressure are excess weight, poor diet, and insufficient exercise, lifestyle changes can be highly effective in tackling high blood pressure.

The Cardiovascular Wellness Center providers are experts in lifestyle medicine. They can guide you with:

Healthier diet choices
Getting more active
Managing your weight
Quitting smoking
Reducing your stress levels

These steps also help patients with diabetes to manage their blood sugar.

If your high blood pressure is severe, you might need to take medication. However, lifestyle medicine is the best approach to getting your blood pressure levels down safely in the long term.

Call Cardiovascular Wellness Center or request an appointment online today.