High blood pressure is potentially a dangerous condition because there are no signs,symptoms or warnings. You do not know that you have it till it attacks you or till you undergo tests. This condition is easily treatable, if detected early. High blood pressure if left untreated,might cause the overworked heart muscle to grow big and become inefficient leading to heart failure. Prolonged high blood pressure may burst the blood vessels that carry nutrients to different organs such as brain causing internal bleeding or stroke and so high blood pressure control methods are to be adopted to counter this condition effectively.
There may be a single cause or combination of different causes. It may be in your genes or it may be due to your life style and diet or it may be due to the stress you undergo. The main reasons for high blood pressure are 1)Your heart can raise the rate of heart beats and thereby increasing the blood pressure. 2)Your small arteries may constrict due to stress or fat deposits because of which your heart may be forced to raise the pressure for optimum blood circulation. 3)When the kidneys keep more water in the blood without filtering it,the heart may be forced to raise the pressure to circulate the high volume.
The cause of primary hypertension is not known and 95%of all cases fall in this category. The secondary hypertension occurs when you suffer other diseases or due to long term usage of certain drugs. Once you eliminate the cause,secondary hypertension vanishes. When the blood pressure is regularly high,it is called hypertension. There are two types,primary hypertension or essential hypertension and secondary hypertension.
Our heart pumps blood throughout our body to nourish the body cells with nutrients and bring back and dispose the waste products. This happens non-stop throughout our life span. Depending upon the body’s requirement,blood pressure varies that is,low when we sleep and high during physical strain, exercise or stress.
The normal blood pressure of a healthy person is 120/80. The number 120 at the top is called systolic number,which denotes the pressure experienced by the artery wall when heart pumps out blood. The number 80 at the bottom is called diastolic number which denotes the lowest pressure of the heart between beats. Both systolic and diastolic numbers should be within limits. If not consult your doctor for solution.
If the numbers are 130 to 139mm Hg over 85 to 89mm Hg(130-139/85-89),it is called mild hypertension which can be corrected by simple changes in your diet and way of living without the need of any medication. If the numbers are 140 to 149 mm Hg over 90 to 99 mm Hg (140-149/90-99) you might need immediate medication by consulting your doctor.
Avoid salty foods since salt is known to increases blood pressure. Add potassium rich foods such as bananas to your diet since potassium is found to lower blood pressure. Avoid going to high altitude places since the body naturally raises the blood pressure. Sleep is found to reduce blood pressure and so get plenty of sleep. Avoid alcohol and smoking. Reduce your stress level by yoga and meditation which have been found to be helpful in calming the mind. Exercise regularly. Aerobic exercises such as cycling,swimming and walking are preferable to strength increasing exercises which might increase your blood pressure. Lose that extra fat and weight as your heart has to work that much more by changing your diet suitably.
When blood pressure is low it is called hypo-tension,which may occur due to over medication for hypertension or other reasons. In this condition,you feel dizzy when you abruptly get up or sit down. To solve this, add lot of salty dishes to your diet since sodium present in table salt increases the blood pressure. Take care and be careful before getting up or sitting down suddenly. If the diet changes do not produce results,then go in for medications in consultation with your doctor.
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