All you need to know about Blood Pressure
Certain lifestyle factors, such as diet and smoking habits, can greatly impact a person's risk of developing high blood pressure. "Having a healthy lifestyle really makes a difference in your life because you can avoid high blood pressure," said Dr. Mary Ann Bauman, an internist at Integris Baptist Medical Center in Oklahoma City. "If you do have high blood pressure, make sure take your medication. You may not necessarily have symptoms until your blood pressure gets really high." What is normal blood pressure? Blood pressure reflects the force of blood as it hits the walls of the arteries. When the heart squeezes and pushes the blood out, the blood pushes against the walls of the blood vessels. People are born with very elastic vessels that can expand easily, and bounce back when the pressure on them is low. As people age, they get plaque buildup inside the blood vessels, and the flexible walls of the arteries become stiff. Now, when the heart squeezes and p...