Many people are of incorrect opinion that Hypertension and High blood pressure are 2 different cardiovascular diseases. Actually, this is the same disease, known as a silent killer- you can have it for many years and don’t know about it. In the USA, there are around 50 million suffering from high blood pressure. And over 30% of them are not aware of having this very seriuos condition.
Blood pressure is determined by the amount of blood pumped by your heart. Blood pressure increases during physical activity and falls during rest. You are believed to have hypertension when your blood pressure is constantly 140/90 or higher. High blood pressure puts you at greater risk of cardiovascular complications, kidney disease, strokes, and blindness. Fortunately, though, in most cases high blood pressure can be controlled, if you follow the instructions of your physician.
However, the worst thing about hypertension is that you do not realize that you have it, until you check your blood pressure. Hence, it is relevant for you to check your BP regularly as your grow older.
The most common symptoms of high blood pressure are: headaches, dizziness, nose bleeds, excessive perspiration, muscle cramps, weakness, frequent urination, and rapid or irregular heart beat, known as palpitations.
Most of these symptoms appear when your hypertension has reached a more advanced stage. But we must remember that many people have no symptoms of high blood pressure at all.
Therefore, it is essential to have a regular BP control, especially if you are overweight, African American, if you smoke cigarettes or drink a lot of alcohol, if you are not active and have a family history of hypertension. These risk factors play an essential role in you suffering from high blood pressure.
The risk factors can be divided into 2 groups: those you are able to control and those you can’t control.
The risk factors you can’t control are: age (the risk of hypertension increases as you grow older), race (African American people are at greater risk than Caucasians), family history (hypertension and heart disease are hereditary. If any of your relatives has had high blood pressure, you are more likely to develop the disease), sex (men are more likely to suffer from hypertension, but after the age of 60 women are more likely to have it).
The risk factors you can control to decrease your risk of developing high blood pressure include;
* Obesity
Being overweight increases your risk for hypertension and heart problems. It’s caused by the fact that the greater the body mass, the more blood you need to supply oxygen to your body. What’s more, being overweight also raises pressure on your heart by clogging or narrowing your arteries.
* Inactivity
Lack of exercise increases your risk of hypertension because overweight people are the most inactive. Inactive people are also likely to have higher heart rates, as their heart muscles must work harder to circulate blood throughout the body.
* Smoking
It not only destroys the lining of the arterial walls, but also narrows the blood vessels, forcing heart to pump blood harder.
* Too much alcohol
It is not known how exactly drinking too much alcohol may increase the risk of developing hypertension, over time however, heavy drinking can damage your heart.
* Stress
High levels of stress have always considerably increased blood pressure. Stress make the heart beat faster and damages the heart more than alcohol or smoking together.
When you have uncontrolled hypertension you are more likely to develop:
* Arteriosclerosis or hardening of the arteries
* Coronary artery disease
* Stroke
* Heart attack
* Congestive heart failure
* Kidney failure
* Metabolic syndrome
Hypertension should be treated mainly in order to prevent other health problems that can result from it. Your physician is the only one who can best determine how to do this. Blood pressure goals are not the same for everybody, for some people an ideal blood pressure maybe 120/80 and for others it may be 110/70.
The best way to control your blood pressure is to change your lifestyle. If you are overweight and inactive, start eating correctly and exercising. Give up smoking and drink alcohol in moderation. Cut down on salt, avoid stress, and learn to relax.
Control your hypertension- do not let it control you. Always follow your physician’s instructions and take the medicines on time. Drugs and lifestyle changes together can help you control hypertension and lead a normal life.
