Don’t stress, but high blood pressure is bad for your brain, too

( Natural News ) High blood pressure (hypertension) is a condition usually associated with older adults. According to an alarming study, however, young adults with elevated blood pressure may have less gray matter in their brain . The study was published in the journal JAMA Neurology . When you’re young, you may be more concerned about obvious signs of poor health like sudden weight gain or acne breakouts. Not many young people consider their blood pressure, which can significantly affect brain and heart health. Blood pressure is measured using two numbers: Systolic blood pressure (SBP) – SBP is the top number in a blood pressure reading. It refers to the pressure against which your aorta has to pump. The aorta is a large vessel off the left ventricle and it sends blood from the heart to the rest of your body. The higher the pressure, the harder the aorta and the left ventricle have to work to send blood to the rest of your organs. Diastolic blood pressure (DBP) – DBP is the number on the bottom. It refers to the pressure in the systemic arterial circulation as your left ventricle is filling with blood to prepare for the next heart contraction. Increased pressure makes your heart work harder, causes arterial stiffness, and results in less efficient blood flow. This increased pressure also decreases the amount of oxygen and essential nutrients sent throughout your body. Five categories are used to define blood pressure readings : A healthy blood pressure reading is less than 120/80 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). When your blood pressure is elevated , SBP is between 120 and 129 mm Hg while DBP is less than 80 mm Hg. Physicians don’t require treatment for elevated blood pressure, but they may recommend certain lifestyle changes to help […]

Click here to view full article