High Blood Pressure: Don't Blow Your Top

High blood pressure or hypertension is common. The CDC reports that nearly half of all adults have hypertension. That’s defined as a peak (systolic) pressure greater than 130 mm Hg (millimeters of mercury, the unit used to measure and report blood pressure) or a minimum (diastolic) pressure greater than 80 mm Hg. Blood pressure is the pressure of the blood that is pumped by your heart into the arteries of your body. As you might guess too high a pressure is bad for your arteries, which means it’s bad for you. Sustained, untreated high blood pressure puts you at risk for heart attack or stroke....