High Blood Pressure

By Amber White

Well now that the holidays are in full swing so is the stress that goes along with it… all the shopping. ..the cooking…and the dreaded family dinners with that one cousin you cannot stand! One thing all that stress can affect is your blood pressure. While you do not always have symptoms when your blood pressure is high some people do. However, I have noticed when I ask patients who come in to our clinic with high blood pressure if they are having symptoms most of them answer…Um I don’t know… So, here are some of the symptoms you may be having that can alert you that you BP is higher than normal:

*Headache- In most cases, high blood pressure does not cause headaches or nosebleeds except in the case of hypertensive crisis, a medical emergency when blood pressure is 180/110 mm Hg or higher. If your blood pressure is unusually high AND you have headache or nosebleed and are feeling unwell, wait five minutes and retest. If your reading remains at 180/110 mm Hg or higher, you should seek medical care immediately.

*Ringing in your ear

*Facial flushing

*Dizziness

Even if you don’t have any of the symptoms listed about one thing to remember is Blood pressure can increase without any noticeable symptoms. You can have high blood pressure and experience no obvious symptoms until you experience a stroke or heart attack. So, through the stress of the holidays and all those yummy meals keep an eye on your blood pressure and call us at 731-868-4716 or stop by 45 Urgent Care at 147 North Star Dr. in Jackson so we can address any of you blood pressure concerns.