The benefits of regular blood pressure checks that you must know

High blood pressure or hypertension is one of the leading causes of death in the world. It is estimated that there are 1.13 billion people who suffer from this condition. In fact, only 1 in 5 people with hypertension can overcome and maintain normal blood pressure. Therefore, it is important for you to start regularly checking your blood pressure in order to get more benefits. So, what are the benefits and importance of regularly checking blood pressure for your health?

How important is it to check your blood pressure?

Hypertension is often referred to as silent killer alias killer secretly. The reason is, hypertension often shows no symptoms in the sufferer, but it can be fatal.

According to the data World Hypertension League (WHL), more than 50% of the population worldwide (the number is approximately 1 billion) do not realize that they have high blood pressure.

Many people rarely check their blood pressure, so they don't know that they have hypertension. In fact, not a few are not aware of the importance of checking blood pressure in our bodies.

The higher the blood pressure, the greater your chances of developing various diseases and health problems. If your blood pressure increases, your arteries and heart will tighten.

Over time, this tension can cause blood vessels to thicken and weaken. This causes the blood vessels to become narrower, making it easier for the blood to clot.

Blood clots have the potential to cause various complications of hypertension, such as heart attacks, strokes, kidney disease, dementia, and other health problems.

In fact, in rare cases, weakened and overly strained blood vessels may burst. This condition is at risk of causing death.

Regularly checking blood pressure is very important

Doing regular blood pressure checks is something everyone should do. That way, you will get benefits, namely knowing the health condition of your heart and blood vessels, from the results of blood pressure checks.

Having normal blood pressure indicates that the heart is able to supply blood, which contains oxygen and food, to all organs of the body properly.

When you check your blood pressure, there will be two numbers listed on the results, namely the systolic on top and the diastolic, which is the bottom number.

Systolic is the pressure produced when the heart contracts and pushes blood into the arteries. When this happens, blood will flow to all parts of the body.
Diastolic is the pressure that occurs when the heart is at rest. When resting, the heart gets oxygen-rich blood from the lungs.

The results of the systolic and diastolic blood pressure checks must be confirmed within a normal range, otherwise this indicates that your heart is working too hard or even slowing down.

What are the benefits of checking blood pressure?

By regularly measuring blood pressure, both at home and in a health care center, you will get the following benefits:

1. Detecting hypertension

The first benefit of checking blood pressure is that it helps you detect the possibility or risk of hypertension.

You can check it at the nearest health service center. However, you can also check your blood pressure at home, to get maximum results.

According to iHealth, within 24 hours, each person experiences a peak of 2 times the increase in blood pressure. Typically, blood pressure will increase between 6-8 a.m. and 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. Blood pressure will rise by 30-50 mmHg during these hours.

During these hours, health care centers are generally not open or closed. Therefore, you can check your own blood pressure at home at that time so that the benefits are maximized.

The benefit of checking your own blood pressure at these times is to help your doctor see if you are at risk for prehypertension or hypertension.

Then, how often do you need to check blood pressure? If you are considered to be at risk of developing hypertension, it's a good idea to check your blood pressure twice a week. Consult with your doctor to find out more definitely according to your condition.

2. Distinguish between hypertension and white coat syndrome

Some people experience an increase in blood pressure only at certain times, for example when checking their blood pressure at a health facility because they feel stressed or depressed. This condition of increased blood pressure is temporary and is known as white coat syndrome.

In this condition, the benefit that can be obtained from regular blood pressure checks is to distinguish whether the increase in blood pressure you are experiencing is considered hypertension or just white coat syndrome. The reason is, white coat syndrome is found in 20% of patients diagnosed with hypertension. This is of course to avoid unnecessary medical action and treatment, which can actually endanger you.

3. Knowing the appropriate action or prevention

Sometimes, some people feel that they don't need to check their blood pressure because they don't have hypertension symptoms and feel that there is no benefit to be obtained.

In fact, the benefit of doing a blood pressure check is that you can find out the appropriate actions and precautions, and avoid health complications. This is very important, especially if you already have risk factors for hypertension.

In certain cases, if you experience common symptoms of hypertension, your doctor may prescribe medication for high blood pressure right away. However, the most appropriate diagnosis is usually made based on external factors, such as pressure in the work environment, or certain diseases.

The results of routine blood pressure checks, especially those you do yourself at home, will be combined with these factors. The benefit that you will get is that the doctor can make a more accurate diagnosis from the results of the blood pressure check.

In addition, if your doctor has confirmed that you have hypertension, periodically checking your blood pressure will help your doctor find the most appropriate medical action for your condition.

Quoted from the siteHarvard Medical School, people who regularly check their blood pressure at home are more able to control their blood pressure. Of course, this benefit is not obtained if you only check your blood pressure when you visit the doctor.

You can ask the help of a doctor or other medical personnel to choose the most suitable tensimeter or blood pressure check tool and provide more benefits for you.