What to do when your pressure is high

When the pressure is high, it is important to try to relax a little and take the pressure again. If symptoms are noticed, it is important to use medications recommended by your doctor to alleviate symptoms and control blood pressure.

Furthermore, it is important to maintain healthy habits, such as eating a diet low in salt and fat, and regularly practicing light to moderate exercise.

It is also recommended that a general practitioner or cardiologist be consulted as soon as possible so that a general assessment can be carried out and a diagnosis of high blood pressure and the need to adjust antihypertensive medications if they are already used are made. See more about hypertension.

What to do

In case of high blood pressure it is recommended:

• Try to relax a little in case of excessive stress, worry or strong emotion and measure the pressure again when calmer;
• Use measures to alleviate painif you are feeling pain, take analgesic medication, especially in the case of blows, fractures or diseases that affect joints such as osteoarthritis, measuring the pressure again when better;
• Make sure you have not forgotten to take your antihypertensive medicationif you already use it, measuring the pressure again after use in approximately 1 hour;
• Check that the pressure device works correctly or it is well placed on the arm and ask someone else to measure the pressure to confirm the value;

However, if symptoms occur, such as shortness of breath, headache, chest pain or blurred vision, or if the pressure continues to be very high, generally above 18 to 12, it is important to go to an emergency room for evaluation, because antihypertensive medications can be indicated.

Check out the following video with Dr. Ronaldo Gismondi on what to do if you have high blood pressure:

What to do to control high blood pressure

To help control blood pressure, it is recommended:

• Lose weight, maintaining ideal weight;
• Follow a low-salt diet;
• Practice physical exercises;
• Quit smoking, if applicable;
• Avoid stressful environments;
• Always take the medicine your doctor recommends.

It is also important to measure your blood pressure regularly, writing down your values ​​to show the cardiologist at subsequent appointments. This way the doctor can have a better perception of how the pressure behaves and can recommend the most appropriate treatment.

Why is the pressure high?

High blood pressure is more common in people with hypertension, which occurs when blood has greater difficulty passing through the arteries. However, high blood pressure for a short period of time can happen in case of anxiety, intense physical exertion and great emotions, for example.

Therefore, having an occasional spike in high blood pressure is not a concern and is usually easily manageable, especially when the person is apparently healthy. However, if high blood pressure is very constant, it is important to consult a general practitioner to assess the chances of having hypertension. Find out more about hypertension and why it occurs.