CAMAF Member Option Guides & Info

5 HOW WILL I kNOW? Now this is a key question. High Blood Pressure is called "The SILENT killer" because it does not cause any symptoms. You cannot feel or sense your blood pressure. Very very high blood pressure may cause headaches and nose bleeds but this is rare and can never be relied upon as a sign of High Blood Pressure. Since High Blood Pressure affects a quarter of adults today it is crucial to have regular blood pressure checks. Blood Pressure Is a measuremenT of Pressure wITHIn Blood vessels, and Involves Two readIngs: • SyStolic preSSure – pressure as the heart beats (higher number) • DiaStolic preSSure – pressure between beats (lower number) The pressure is measured by a unit called mmHg (millimetres of mercury). The normal or healthy range varies with age and personal medical profile but as a general guide Systolic should be less than 130 mmHg and Diastolic should be less than 90 mmHg. This is something to discuss with your doctor and it is important to have a clear target for your own blood pressure. Blood pressure varies over time; from moment to moment and day to day. for this reason it is really important to have repeated measurement before making a diagnosis of high blood pressure. The so-called "white coat effect" is also important here: many people are anxious when seeing a doctor and this can cause a falsely high blood pressure reading. DIY home-use blood pressure measuring devices are very accurate these days, and quite affordable. Arguably everyone should have one and certainly all people with High Blood Pressure should have one, and use it regularly. Ideally, you should measure your blood pressure every day but at different (random) times of the day to get a good sense of the overall trend / average.

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