There are many people who are diagnosed with the condition of high blood pressure. Medical professionals refer to this condition as “hypertension”. In this article, you will be introduced to an explanation of high blood pressure.
When blood pressure is measured, it is measuring exactly how hard the blood that is circulating in the body is pushing against the interior walls of the arteries. Individuals who are believed to have high blood pressure have a consistently high reading while being monitored.
As blood pressure elevates, and remains consistently high, a lot of damage occurs in the body. The first area that is normally affected is the actual vessels that carry the blood throughout the body. Eventually, the heart will experience damage as well. There are other areas of the body that can become damaged as well.
Medical professionals often label high blood pressure as a “silent killer”. The reason that it has been established as a killer that is silent is because of the fact that there are very few symptoms present when the damage within the body is occurring.
There are a number of serious medical conditions that can result due to hypertension. When blood pressure is elevated on a consistent level, it is not uncommon for an individual to experience the onset of a heart attack and/or a severe stroke.
When an individual is diagnosed with high blood pressure, it is often complicated to pinpoint the exact cause of the condition. However, there are a number of contributing factors that can result in this particular condition. The following detail these factors:
1) One of the first factors that can play a large role in the development of high blood pressure is being overweight. It is essential that an individual maintains a weight level that is appropriate to their body mass index, or BMI, as this is a great prevention measure for this complication.
2) The second factor that may play a role in the development of high blood pressure is inactivity. Individuals who fail to participate in at least three to four hours of physical exercise on a weekly basis are likely to have higher blood pressure numbers then the people who do exercise regularly.
3) High blood pressure may be experienced if an individual consumes a high level of alcohol on a regular basis, or they smoke. Both of these lifestyle choices can be extremely detrimental to an individual’s health levels.
4) Individuals who consume a high amount of salt on a regular basis have been found to experience high blood pressure. It is important to have a small intake of salt for basic body function, however, if too much salt is consumed, it can prove to be devastating to the health of an individual.
5) Genetics plays a large role when it comes to blood pressure health. Those that come from a family that has a history of blood pressure problems are likely to experience these same types of issues. This is often referred to as “genetic predisposition”.
6) Those that do not consume foods that are high in calcium may experience high blood pressure. It is also essential to eat foods that contain high potassium levels. A decrease in either two of these ingredients can drastically increase blood pressure numbers.
Generally, there are no symptoms associated with blood pressure elevation. However, in cases in which an individual experiences excessively high readings, some symptoms may be present. The following represents some common symptoms associated with this type of high blood pressure:
1) Individuals may experience severe headaches when they suffer from really high blood pressure. These headaches may come and go, or remain consistent. They also vary in location. Many may experience them on the sides of the head, while others may experience pain in the front and the back of the head.
2) There are many people who may experience vision complications when their blood pressure readings elevate. This may include seeing floaters, double vision, and even blurred vision.
3) There are some people who will experience problems with nausea and vomiting when they experience high blood pressure readings. It is unknown why this particular symptom is evident, but it seems to occur in situations in which an individual has a spike in their blood pressure that occurs quickly.
There are a number of things that can be done in order to prevent high blood pressure. One of the main things that you can do is to ensure that you lose any additional weight that is over what is suggested of your body mass index. Additional weight can result in high blood pressure and other health complications as well.
Individuals should ensure that they get plenty of potassium and calcium in their diets. Salt should be limited to only a small amount. By adjusting the diet in this manner, once can successfully prevent the effects of high blood pressure. For those that experience this issue, the numbers can be decreased.
There is a particular diet available to individuals who wish to reduce the potential for developing high blood pressure. This is called the DASH diet. DASH stands for “diet approach to stop hypertension”. Individuals who wish to pursue this diet will be given a diet plan that includes fruits, vegetables, and other products.
If you want to reduce the possibility of acquiring high blood pressure, or have already been diagnosed with this condition, the DASH diet may work for you. You can obtain a copy of this particular diet by inquiring about it to your doctor. Most have copies available for their patients. If one is not available, they will provide a supplemental diet.
High blood pressure is a condition that affects millions upon millions of people. This condition can result in many complications where the health is concerned. It is important that you research and learn as much as you possibly can about it. By doing so, you are taking the steps that are necessary to prevent this complication from developing in your life.
