Symptoms of High Blood Pressure-Hypertension Symptoms

High blood pressure medically termed as “HYPERTENSION” affects millions of people.

What is Blood pressure?

In simple words, blood pressure is the force exerted by the blood against the walls of the blood vessels. 

The pressure exerted depends on the work being done by the heart and the resistance.

The AHA (American Heart Association) defines the following ranges of blood pressure.

 

Range	Systolic *	Diastolic **
Normal blood pressure	120 mm/Hg	80 mm/Hg
Pre-Hypertension	Between 120 and 139	Between 80 and 89
Stage 1 Hypertension	Between 140 and 159	Between 90 and 99
Stage 2 Hypertension	160	100
Hypertensive crisis	180	110

 

*Systolic Blood Pressure: Systolic Blood Pressure indicates how much pressure your blood is exerting against your artery walls when the heart beats.

**Diastolic Blood Pressure: Diastolic Blood pressure indicates how much pressure your blood is exerting against your artery walls while the heart is resting between beats.

 

Medical attention is needed when pressure is above normal.

There are several risk factors which can lead to hypertension

1. Age: With aging, the elasticity of the arteries is lost. The arteries are no longer able to carry blood as efficiently as they did before.

2. Size and weight factor: Being overweight or obese is another factor contributing to high blood pressure. Excess fat deposition in the arteries blocks them and thus hinders the normal flow of blood.

3. Physical inactivity: Physical inactivity is often linked to heart diseases, one of them being hypertension.

4. Alcohol and tobacco use: Smoking causes long-term damage to the arteries. Besides it also causes constriction of blood vessels thus affecting normal blood flow

5. Excessive salt intake: Salt intake has been linked to high blood pressure.

 

Primary Hypertension: It is caused due to multiple factors, including blood plasma volume and hormone activity.

Secondary Hypertension: It has specific causes and often caused as a complication of another health condition.

Care from the start should be taken before health impairs completely.

1. Walk daily for at least 30 minutes: Walking daily not only improves your heart health but also helps reduce weight.

2. Stress management: Stress management is a vital part of the 21st century. Some amount of stress is important in life because it motivates a person to work. But stress which leads to emotional upsets is not healthy. Try avoiding excessive stress and learn to manage work smartly.

3. Quit smoking: It might be difficult for the smokers to quit the habit but it is effective to prevent health-related problems in the long run.

DASH diet: DIETARY APPROACHES TO STOP HYPERTENSION or termed as “DASH” has been specially formulated to help people lower blood pressure.

DASH diet includes consumption of more fruits and vegetables and lowering the salt intake to 1.5 g per day.

This strategy not only helps to reduce blood pressure but also lowers the risk of cardiovascular diseases.

1. Weight Maintenance: Maintaining weight is crucial to bring blood pressure under control.

 

Health is often taken for granted. It is not paid attention to until it starts worsening. A healthy diet and a healthy lifestyle both – are essential for a happy you!

 

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