Blood Pressure - High Blood Pressure / Low Blood Pressure*

Mine is usually low. ie 92/58

You can have high blood pressure (hypertension) for years without a single symptom. Uncontrolled high blood pressure increases your risk of serious health problems, including heart attack and stroke.

Blood pressure is determined by the amount of blood your heart pumps and the amount of resistance to blood flow in your arteries. The more blood your heart pumps and the narrower your arteries, the higher your blood pressure.

High blood pressure typically develops over many years, and it affects nearly everyone eventually. Fortunately, high blood pressure can be easily detected. And once you know you have high blood pressure, you can work with your doctor to control it.

Most people with high blood pressure have no signs or symptoms, even if blood pressure readings reach dangerously high levels.

Although a few people with early-stage high blood pressure may have dull headaches, dizzy spells or a few more nosebleeds than normal, these signs and symptoms typically don't occur until high blood pressure has reached an advanced — even life-threatening — stage.

When to see a doctor
Unless you have symptoms of extremely high blood pressure, there's probably no need to make a special trip to the doctor to have your blood pressure checked. You'll likely have your blood pressure taken as part of a routine doctor's appointment.

Ask your doctor for a blood pressure reading at least every two years starting at age 20. He or she will likely recommend more frequent readings if you've already been diagnosed with high blood pressure, prehypertension or other risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Children age 3 and older will usually have their blood pressure measured as a part of their yearly checkups.

If you don't regularly see your doctor, but are concerned about your blood pressure, you may be able to get a free blood pressure screening at a health resource fair or other locations in your community. You can also find machines in drugstores that will measure your blood pressure for free, but these machines aren't often calibrated and can give you inaccurate results.

Low blood pressure, also called hypotension, would seem to be something to strive for. However, for many people, low blood pressure can cause symptoms of dizziness and fainting or mean that they have serious heart, endocrine or neurological disorders. Severely low blood pressure can deprive the brain and other vital organs of oxygen and nutrients, leading to a life-threatening condition called shock.

Although blood pressure varies from person to person, a blood pressure reading of 90 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) or less systolic blood pressure (the top number in a blood pressure reading) or 60 mm Hg or less diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) is generally considered low blood pressure.

The causes of low blood pressure can range from dehydration to problems with the way your brain signals your heart to pump blood. Low blood pressure is treatable, but it's important to find out what's causing your condition so that it can be properly treated.

For some people, low blood pressure can signal an underlying problem, especially when it drops suddenly or is accompanied by signs and symptoms such as:

* Dizziness or lightheadedness
* Fainting (syncope)
* Lack of concentration
* Blurred vision
* Nausea
* Cold, clammy, pale skin
* Rapid, shallow breathing
* Fatigue
* Depression
* Thirst

When to see a doctor
In many instances, low blood pressure isn't serious. If you have consistently low readings but feel fine, your doctor is likely to monitor you during routine exams. Even occasional dizziness or lightheadedness may be a relatively minor problem — the result of mild dehydration from too much time in the sun or a hot tub, for example. In these situations, it's not a matter so much of how far, but of how quickly, your blood pressure drops.

Still, it's important to see your doctor if you experience any signs or symptoms of hypotension because they sometimes can point to more serious problems. It can be helpful to keep a record of your symptoms, when they occur and what you were doing at the time.

I had a rough evening on Sunday. My blood pressure dropped to 97/58 and my sugar soared to 231. Talk about feeling crappy....