Blood Pressure and Blood Sugar Made Simple

558 Words3 Pages
Before telling you about hypertension, I would like to take the opportunity to talk with you about what blood pressure is, and do my best to answer any questions you may have. The force put forth by the blood against the walls of blood vessels is blood pressure. It depends on the thickness and amount of the blood, the flexibility of the artery walls, strength of the heartbeat, and the healthiness of the individual. There are two different numbers that represent blood pressure: top and bottom. The top number measures the contraction of the heart during which blood is pumped into the arteries. The bottom number measures the expansion of the heart as it fills back up with blood at each heart beat. If the top number is below 120 and the bottom number is below 80, this is considered a good, normal blood pressure. Hypertension is another word used to describe high blood pressure. If the top number is 140 or greater and the bottom number is 90 or greater, a person is considered to have Hypertension. High blood pressure can lead to several health issues such as eye damage, heart attack, heart disease, kidney failure, and stroke. So, adopting a healthy lifestyle is very important. Quitting smoking, losing weight, and restricting your salt intake will help to decrease blood pressure. Now, let’s talk about Diabetes Mellitus, usually just referred to as diabetes. It is high blood sugar levels in the blood that are a result of the lack of insulin production within the body or the inability to use the insulin that your body produces. After eating, digestion takes place. During digestion stuff like breads, pastas, rice, potatoes, milk, fruit, and yogurt also known as carbohydrates are broken down into sugars. Insulin, a hormone produced by the pancreas, acts as a key for blood sugar. When sugar enters the bloodstream it has to be absorbed into the
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