I took my blood pressure and got 123 over 80 and then a few days later I took it again and got 124 over 78.
This used to be normal, but I guess they've changed the guidelines and now I'm considered to be just on the cusp of prehypertension. Which, even if I'm on the low end, is a place I don't want to be.
Guess it's time to start exercising (the only exercise I get is golf).
What's your blood pressure? Would you change your lifestyle if you found you had hypertension or even prehypertension?
Some info I found at
www.webmd.com :
----The systolic measurement is the pressure of blood against your artery walls when the heart has just finished pumping (contracting). It is the first or top number of a blood pressure reading.
----The diastolic measurement is the pressure of blood against your artery walls between heartbeats, when the heart is relaxed and filling with blood. It is the second or bottom number in a blood pressure reading.
LEVEL SYSTOLIC DIASTOLIC
High blood pressure is: 140 or above 90 or above
Prehypertension is: 120 to 139 80 to 89
Normal adult
(age 18 or older)
blood pressure is: 119 or below 79 or below
Millions of people whose blood pressure was previously considered borderline high (130–139/85–89 mm Hg) or normal (120/80) now fall into the "prehypertension" range, based on new, more aggressive high blood pressure guidelines from the Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee (JNC 7) on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure.1
Because new studies show the risk of heart disease and stroke begins to increase earlier than previously believed, health experts lowered the acceptable normal range to promote more aggressive and earlier treatment of high blood pressure.1
HERE'S THE DIRECT LINK TO THE ARTICLE:
http://my.webmd.com/content/healthwi...tselectedguid={5FE84E90-BC77-4056-A91C-9531713CA348}