When the pressure rises to 140 to 120 mmHg, doctors diagnose hypertension. Such pressure signals disturbances in the functioning of the cardiovascular system. A pulse pressure of 20 units indicates the development of pathology, so you should consult a doctor for a diagnosis. The doctor will conduct an examination to identify the cause of the disease, and then create the correct treatment regimen. To normalize the condition, the specialist will prescribe drug therapy and also give general recommendations that will help get rid of hypertension forever.
140/120 – normal or pathological
Blood pressure of 140 over 120 is outside the normal range. Particular attention should be paid to a high lower reading, which indicates developing pathologies in the kidneys. At a pressure of 140 to 120, disruptions occur in the functioning of the heart, blood vessels, and brain. These changes are irreversible, which is why it is so important to seek medical help in a timely manner.
A blood pressure of 140 over 120 may be a sign of the development of malignant hypertension. In this condition, tissues and organs lack oxygen, which leads to hypoxia and the development of kidney failure.
A pulse pressure of 20 units indicates the development of pathology. Normal pulse pressure is 45 points.
Blood pressure readings of 140/120 are not normal and require consultation with a doctor
What does BP mean?
The upper indicator of diastolic pressure indicates the contractile function of the left ventricle of the heart, and the lower indicator indicates the force of pushing blood fluid out of it. Normally, blood pressure should be at the level of 120/80, where the difference between the upper and lower should not be less than 20 mm. Hg Art.
Everyone knows that blood pressure can fluctuate due to many natural factors:
- weather;
- psycho-emotional state;
- lifestyle;
- physical activity;
- physiological conditions, such as pregnancy or old age.
However, a small distance between the upper and lower blood pressure marks is not normal. This always indicates a violation.
If the indicators stop at 140/120, then you should immediately seek help from a specialist. Unstable functioning of the cardiovascular system provokes insufficient enrichment of all vital organs with oxygen, which is fraught with serious consequences, and sometimes even death.
What is the danger of such indicators?
A person’s blood pressure of 140/120 will not be critical, but is dangerous due to the irreversible changes that occur in the internal organs. Complications affect vital organs and systems. The biggest danger of pressure 140 to 120 is wear and tear of the heart muscle. The heart has to work in double mode, constant tension affects the quality of its work. Gradually, some of the functions of the heart atrophy, which leads to thrombosis. Against the background of blood clots and muscle wear, a heart attack often develops.
With high blood counts of 140 to 120 points, blood circulation is impaired. This directly affects the condition of blood vessels. They become less elastic, thin out, and break. This condition leads to the development of atherosclerotic disorders, which can lead to cerebral hemorrhage, stroke, and cell death.
Most often, the consequences of a pressure of 140/120 affect people with a history of other diseases:
- kidney diseases;
- disorders of the thyroid gland;
- diabetes;
- excess weight.
To normalize arterial parameters, it is necessary to find and treat the root cause.
During the period of bearing a child, a woman often experiences an increase in blood counts. A woman’s body changes, it has to work for two at once. Organs are displaced, compressed, and blood flow changes. All this is reflected in blood pressure, which periodically fluctuates. During the normal course of pregnancy, both indicators increase by an equal amount: systolic and diastolic. A pressure of 140 to 120 indicates disturbances in the functioning of the body. With such indicators, the help of a doctor is required, especially if accompanying symptoms appear: dizziness, weakness, chest pain, headaches, heart rhythm disturbances.
High blood pressure during pregnancy can be extremely dangerous, as it causes hypoxia, the risk of premature birth, and eclampsia.
High lower blood pressure is typical for people with kidney disease
Symptoms
The symptoms of hypertension are as follows:
- the patient feels a severe headache;
- attacks of nausea and vomiting occur;
- the skin turns red;
- the person falls into a panic state;
- extraneous sounds and tinnitus appear;
- it gets dark before your eyes, spots appear;
- a person suffers from intense, squeezing pain in the chest;
- heart rate increases;
- sweating increases, and the sweat is cold and sticky.
And also read on our website: What does blood pressure of 150 over 60 mean in elderly and young men and women, what to do and how to treat such blood pressure?
Why does blood pressure rise to 140/120?
An increase in pressure to 140 to 120 points indicates disturbances in the functioning of internal organs: heart, kidneys, thyroid gland, endocrine system.
Other reasons for pressure 140 to 120:
- heredity;
- period of bearing a child;
- diabetes;
- excessive salt intake;
- poor nutrition;
- excessive consumption of coffee or strong tea;
- smoking;
- alcohol abuse;
- obesity;
- sedentary lifestyle;
- weather sensitivity;
- overwork;
- lack of sleep;
- influence of stress;
- emotionally unstable state;
- decreased elasticity of blood vessels due to natural wear and tear;
- hormonal imbalance;
- oncology;
- vertebral displacement.
Identifying the cause of the disease is an important stage of diagnosis, on which further therapy depends. Arterial parameters can be normalized only after the root cause has been cured.
Causes
The reasons for such a high blood pressure may be:
- heredity;
- heart defects of varying severity and location;
- dysfunction of the thyroid gland;
- suffered severe forms of various diseases in the past;
- traumatic brain injuries;
- injuries and damage to the spinal column;
- a significant amount of excess weight in a person;
- state of chronic stress and increased anxiety;
- lack of sleep;
- the presence of cancer tumors in the body;
- smoking;
- alcoholism;
- excessive salt intake;
- poor nutrition;
- insufficient consumption of clean water.
Associated symptoms
Symptoms with a pressure of 140 to 120 may be mild or absent altogether. It all depends on the individual characteristics of the body, concomitant diseases, and the course of the disease.
Possible symptomatic signs of the disease:
- severe throbbing pain in the head, which is localized in the back of the head, crown, temples, the pain can subside and intensify, comes in waves, becomes stronger after physical activity;
- painful manifestations in the sternum from the heart;
- gagging;
- hyperemia of the face and neck;
- increased anxiety, sudden, uncontrollable fear of death;
- lethargy, loss of strength, body aches;
- dizziness;
- loss of consciousness;
- unsteady gait;
- vertigo;
- tinnitus;
- heart rhythm disturbance;
- increased heart rate;
- hyperhidrosis;
- frequent urge to go to the toilet;
- change in urine color;
- the appearance of protein in the urine;
- visual impairment;
- black spots before the eyes.
The appearance of symptoms is not affected by the age or gender of the patient. If there is a sudden change in your health and the appearance of these signs, you should measure your blood pressure. If the tonometer shows a value of 140 to 120, you need to call a doctor at home or go to the clinic yourself.
A rapid heartbeat may be an indicator of high blood pressure
What to do if your blood pressure is 140/120
Emergency assistance before the arrival of doctors
If your blood pressure rises to 140/120 and your general health worsens, you should call a doctor. Before the arrival of doctors, it is necessary to provide the victim with emergency care, which will help stabilize the condition and stop the hypertensive crisis.
Emergency measures for blood pressure:
- Sit or lay the patient down with his head down.
- Apply a cold compress to the back of your neck and leave for half an hour.
- After removing the compress, do a light massage of the collar area; you can additionally massage your feet to disperse the blood in the body.
The measures taken will help to slightly lower blood pressure levels, improve your well-being and calmly wait for the specialists to arrive. Taking antihypertensive pills with high blood pressure of 140/120 without a doctor’s prescription is prohibited.
Antihypertensive drugs
Upon arrival, emergency doctors will assess the patient’s condition in order to decide on hospitalization or the possibility of outpatient treatment. To relieve an acute condition, diuretics are prescribed. They quickly lower blood pressure, remove excess water from the body, and flush out potassium and salt along the way. The body does not need salt and fluid in excess, but potassium is vital, so in addition to diuretics, potassium-sparing or potassium-containing medications are prescribed.
To relieve vascular spasms, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors are prescribed. ACE inhibitors must be taken in a course that lasts at least a month. The duration of the course, dosage, and frequency of administration are determined by the attending physician according to indications. The most popular ACE inhibitors are Enalapril and Perindopril.
You can quickly reduce blood pressure to 140/120 with beta-blockers. They reduce the release of adrenaline and normalize the functioning of the heart and blood vessels. The most popular blockers are Concor and Egilok.
If high blood pressure of 140 to 120 is accompanied by severe pain in the head, you can take an antispasmodic. The safest antispasmodics are No-Shpa and Papaverine.
No-Spa will help with headaches from high blood pressure
Therapy with a doctor
Quite often, doctors administer an emergency drug that lowers blood pressure to the patient and take him to the hospital. In the hospital, the doctor talks with the person and prescribes the necessary forms of examination. In most cases, an accurate diagnosis is made based on the following indicators:
- MRI;
- ECG;
- Ultrasound of the heart;
- Vascular ultrasound;
- clinical blood test;
- clinical urine analysis;
- blood sugar test;
- determination of cholesterol levels in the blood.
Medical therapy involves the following forms of treatment:
- taking medications that normalize blood pressure levels:
- regular monitoring of the patient’s condition and blood pressure;
- normalization of a person’s psycho-emotional state;
- attending physical therapy classes;
- adherence to diet and certain nutritional rules;
- Spa treatment.
Such complex therapy has proven itself to be an effective method for treating blood pressure disorders. Therefore, it is extremely important not to ignore timely contact with a specialist doctor.
Home recipes for hypertensive patients
If your blood pressure is 140 over 120, it is not necessary to take antihypertensive pills. There are many popular ways to lower blood pressure at home. Traditional medicine methods have been tested for years and are aimed at overall improvement of well-being, strengthening the cardiovascular system, and strengthening the immune system.
Methods of traditional treatment of hypertension are based on the use of useful products and plants. All of them have diuretic and sedative effects.
- Motherwort. To treat hypertension, you can buy a ready-made tincture at a pharmacy or prepare a decoction yourself from dry herbs. To prepare a medicinal drink, you need to mix 2 tbsp. motherwort with 500 ml. boiling water The resulting composition is divided into three doses.
- Peony. To prepare a healing decoction you will need 250 ml of water and 1 tablespoon of peony. The flowers are mixed with water and boiled for 5 minutes. Then the composition is filtered and taken 1 tablespoon three times a day.
- Valerian. You will need the root of the plant and 250 ml of hot water. Valerian root is dipped in boiling water and infused for 8 hours. The resulting decoction is taken 4 times a day, 50 ml.
- Plant collection. You will need sage, St. John's wort, oregano, motherwort in the proportion of 1/1/2/5 parts. The herbs are mixed and poured with boiling water (2 tablespoons of herbs equal 2 cups of water). The resulting decoction is infused for 30 minutes. The decoction is drunk before meals three times a day.
Traditional medicine effectively lowers blood pressure without causing adverse reactions. Traditional medicine to lower blood pressure should be taken after consultation with a specialist.
You can lower your blood pressure at home using breathing techniques. Doctors recommend that people with a predisposition to hypertension must study and practice breathing exercises. Proper breathing techniques improve the functioning of the nervous system, calm, and lower blood pressure. One of the techniques: sit on a chair, take a slow breath in with your diaphragm, hold the air for 4 seconds, exhale slowly, completely emptying your lungs. Breathing exercises should be done daily for 20 minutes.
To normalize the condition, it is recommended to massage certain areas: calves, neck, back, chest. Movements should be smooth, soft stroking.
Breathing techniques can help normalize blood pressure
Prognosis and prevention
With an elevated blood pressure of 140 to 120, the prognosis is positive. Arterial indicators can be brought to normal values and a return to a full life. At the first signs of hypertension, you should not delay visiting a specialist. Only a doctor can prescribe the correct treatment that will help get rid of the pathology without negative consequences.
Prevention of hypertension involves adjusting lifestyle and eating habits:
- restore a full sleep and wakefulness regime, in which healthy sleep should not be less than 8 hours;
- during intense, long-term work at the computer or intense mental activity, it is necessary to take rest breaks;
- give up alcohol and smoking;
- do not be exposed to strong stress;
- monitor your weight; if you are overweight, go on a diet selected by a nutritionist;
- include daily physical exercise: gymnastics, running, race walking, swimming.
Nutrition should be balanced and healthy. Fresh vegetables and fruits should predominate in the diet, but you will have to give up salty, spicy, smoked, and canned foods. Doctors recommend that hypertensive patients drink 150 ml of freshly prepared beet juice daily.
Preventive measures will help prevent the development of hypertension in the future and stabilize the condition.
