Blood pressure goes up and down throughout the day.
But if it stays up, it’s called high blood pressure.
When blood pressure is high, over time it can harm organs throughout the body, including the brain, eyes, heart, and kidneys.
Okay, so the list of high blood pressure effects is long.
But while you're thinking about these effects, remember that when you manage your high blood pressure, you're helping prevent problems.
Let's start with your heart.
High blood pressure makes it work harder.
And that can lead to heart failure, which means your heart muscle doesn't pump as much blood as your body needs.
High blood pressure can also damage arteries.
Arteries are the vessels that carry blood and oxygen to your whole body.
Damaged arteries can lead to something called atherosclerosis.
Or you may have heard it called "hardening of the arteries."
And it raises your risk of health problems, including heart attack and stroke.
Arteries also carry blood and oxygen to organs like your eyes and kidneys.
And if high blood pressure damages those arteries, it can lead to vision loss and kidney disease.
Unfortunately, the effects don't stop there.
Because high blood pressure can also affect the arteries in your brain, raising the risk of dementia.
Damaged arteries are weak.
And a weak artery in the brain could burst and bleed.
So you can see why managing your high blood pressure is so important.
Even when it's only a little high, and it may not be something you can feel, it isn't something to ignore.
It's never too late to manage your high blood pressure.
That's because lowering your blood pressure also lowers your risk of serious problems.
You and your doctor can make a plan to lower yours with a healthy lifestyle and medicine.
If your blood pressure is high—even just a little bit— pay attention.
When you take care of your blood pressure, you’re taking care of your whole body so that you can stay healthy and do more of the things you want to do.
