Blood pressure is generated when your heart is contracting, and blood is putting pressure on the walls of the arteries, as it is being pumped around your body. Your blood pressure is naturally going up and down all the time depending on what you are doing.
Physical exercise and stress would cause a rise in blood pressure, whereas when you are resting or sleeping your blood pressure is lower. High blood pressure, or hypertension, is when your blood pressure is persistently higher over a long period of time. A blood pressure reading under 120/80 mmHg is considered optimal. Readings over 120/80 mmHg and up to 139/89 mmHg are in the normal to high normal range.1
The causes of high blood pressure may include:
- Family history
- Diet, excessive salt intake
- Excessive alcohol intake
- Weight gain
- Lack of physical activity
Hypertension is a major health concern as it is a risk factor for stroke and heart attack. By 2025, hypertension is thought to have increased by 60%, affecting 1.6 billion people globally.2