The little test with the great big impact: May is National High Blood Pressure Education Month

During National High Blood Pressure Education Month this May, let’s all give thanks for the humble blood pressure cuff and the essential health care insights it provides!

Did you know that human blood pressure was only measured for the first time in 1856? The details are a bit grisly, though you can read about them in the Short History of Blood Pressure we’ve linked to below. Soon after, devices were developed to non-invasively measure blood pressure, though they were typically large, unwieldy, and inaccurate. It wasn’t until 1896 that something resembling the modern inflatable cuff design was developed, a design that saw another century of steady improvements, resulting in the easy-to-use and accurate tool for measuring blood pressure that we know and love today.

So, what is blood pressure and why is measuring it so important?

Blood pressure is literally the pressure that your blood exerts against the walls of your arteries as it circulates around your body. The top number (systolic) measures the pressure when your heart beats and the bottom number (diastolic) measures the pressure when your heart is at rest between beats.

As we age, suffer from various medical conditions, and make less-than-healthy diet, exercise, and lifestyle choices, our blood pressure typically rises. That rise in blood pressure damages the arteries and can lead to other serious health problems such as heart disease (the leading cause of death in the U.S.), strokes, vision loss, kidney disease, and sexual dysfunction for both men and women. There may even be links between high blood pressure and cognitive issues such as dementia.

Here’s the problem: the rise in blood pressure that leads to all those other issues cannot itself be felt. That’s why high blood pressure is sometimes called the “silent killer” — because people do not know they have it.

Unless they get tested!

Thanks to the blood pressure cuff and the dedicated medical professionals who know how to use it, how to train others to use it, and how to analyze the results, accurate blood pressure information is now readily available and can be used to encourage healthy lifestyle changes before other issues arise.

Of course, those lifestyle changes still must be made. We’ve attached a set of links below, including a link to the document that our own Overture Home Care nurses distribute when performing blood pressure clinics and checks for all our private clients and the residents of the communities we serve. Follow those links for advice on how to commit to a healthier diet, explore exercise options and above all, QUIT SMOKING (we can’t stress that one enough).

If you’d like to learn more about Overture Home Care blood pressure clinics and wellness checks and find out how our compassionate caregivers can help your loved ones live healthier, more active lives, please call us 24/7 for a free consultation at (817) 887-9401 or (214) 887-9401.