When your heart beats, it pumps blood around
your body.
As the blood moves, it pushes against the
sides of the blood vessels.
The strength of this pushing is your blood
pressure.
As your heart pumps, the flow of blood in
your arteries - and your blood pressure -
rises and falls in a regular wave pattern.
Blood pressure is shown as two numbers.
The top number, or systolic pressure, is the
pressure
when your heart beats.
The bottom number, or diastolic pressure,
is the pressure
when your heart relaxes.
Healthy blood vessels can stretch to allow
for these changes in pressure.
Damaged blood vessels are less stretchy, which increases blood pressure.
Constant high blood pressure puts extra strain on your heart and blood vessels.
Over time, this increases 
your risk of a heart attack or stroke.
It can also cause problems for your eyes and kidneys.
High blood pressure speeds up the process of atherosclerosis,
where fatty streaks form inside the arteries.
If one of these cracks, it can cause a blood clot in your arteries.
This is what causes a heart attack
or stroke.
It's never too late to make changes
to protect your heart. Think about your future:
being there for your family, your plans and
dreams.
Could your blood pressure affect this?
There are steps you can take today to lower your risk.
If you smoke, stop smoking.
Make heart healthy eating and drinking choices,
Move more,
Lose weight,
Talk to your doctor about medications.
