Have you ever heard of high blood pressure? Blood pressure can be described as the force that blood exercises against the wall of blood vessels. This is exactly what hypertension is, and it can lead to health complications or even death if not controlled.
Approximately half of all adults in the United States suffer from high blood pressure, but many of it goes unnoticed.
Hypertension is linked with many other cardiovascular diseases such as stroke, heart failure, and heart attack. This article will go through the management process through diet, causes, symptoms and signs, and how to read blood pressure…
Management
To be able to manage hypertension, you should change your lifestyle;
1. Physical Exercise
The actual hypertension guidelines recommend 150 minutes of moderate to light intensity workout each week or 75 minutes of high-intensity exercise each week.
Some exercise is fun and that you can practice every day without feeling as if you are working out, walking, jogging, swimming, or cycling.
2. Stress Reduction
Stress is among the leading causes of high blood pressure, and if you learn how to control it, it can help alleviate the symptoms.
Here are some techniques you can use to help you relax;
– Yoga
-Walks
-Warm Baths
-Meditation
Stressed people often resort to alcohol consumption whenever they are stressed, which may further contribute to high blood pressure and other complications. You should also try to avoid smoking or quitting.
3. Medication
There are medications that doctors prescribe to manage high blood pressure. Normally they recommend a low dose and slowly increase it if it is not working as it should. These medications usually come with very few side effects.
There is a long list of medications, but they are not meant for everyone; they will depend on the medical conditions.
4. Diet
People who watch closely what they eat are less likely to suffer from hypertension. They should reduce their salt intake as high sodium consumption will lead to high blood pressure. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), you should be consuming less than 2.3 milligrams of salt per day.
To decrease the consumption of alcohol, AHA recommends one drink daily for women and two for men.
The diet should be healthy based on fruits and vegetables while reducing the intake of saturated fats and better consuming unsaturated fats. You will receive healthy fats from vegetable oils, skinless poultry, low-fat dairy products, and nuts.
5. Managing Body Weight
You should always aim for a healthy diet and manage your body weight within the correct BMI (body mass index).
After weight loss, the blood pressure normally falls; thus, the heart won’t have to work as hard as before to pump blood.
Causes
There are no specific causes of hypertension; it is normally bad living habits that are stockpiling till it converts into hypertension. Sometimes hypertension can result from another medical condition and not from daily routines.
Habits that can lead to hypertension are; obesity, high sodium intake, excessive alcohol intake, smoking, and a sedentary lifestyle.
Medical conditions that can lead to hypertension; diabetes, obesity, pregnancy, sleep apnea, and hyperthyroidism.
Symptoms
In many cases, hypertension goes unnoticed, which is why hypertension is often called the ‘silent killer’; hypertension can create large problems if not detected.
Some common symptoms are; sweating, blushing, anxiety, and sleep problems.
A person is categorized to have hypertension if their blood pressure is consistently high, 140/90 mm Hg. Hypertension should be closely monitored as it can bring along other heart problems. Hypertension can also be hereditary.
Let us know in the comments if you monitor your blood pressure often…and if it is not the case, you may want to contact Point Cook Pharmacy for your blood pressure checks.
