One in every three adults is reported to have a problem of
high blood pressure and two of three people with diabetes are estimated to have
it too.
High Blood Pressure is often termed as a "silent
killer"- as you would not know about it until your doctor figures it out
when you give a visit to him.
Hypertension can also lead to risk factors like heart attack
and heart failure, as with this serious condition, the heart cannot pump enough
blood required by the body. In addition to this, this has serious implications
on:
- The Brain: High BP (Hypertension) is considered as the most critical risk factor for stroke.
- Vision: It may even cause blurred or impaired vision or even worse, as could result in blindness also.
- Arteries: Plague build-up in arteries could also be one of the reasons for hypertension as this will make your heart and kidney work harder.
- Kidneys: It can also lead to narrow blood vessels in kidneys due to which kidneys don't function properly and toxins builds up in the blood.
Are there any warning
signs of High blood pressure?
Well, in most of the cases, there are rarely any symptoms.
People usually relate it to increased levels of stress, nervousness and
tension, but the truth is that even a relaxed person can have high blood
pressure.
So instead of assuming on your own, the best way to know if
you have hypertension is by getting it checked by your health care provider.
This should be done regularly as this disease of elevated blood pressure can
develop over time. Prompt treatment of it can also reduce your risk of stroke,
heart failure, kidney failure and heart attack.
High blood pressure and
sleep apnoea
Missing out on sleep can leave you feeling irritated and
slow-witted in the morning, but the consequences do not end here. Over the
time, sleep may also take a toll on your heart and blood pressure.
High blood pressure and sleep apnoea are associated with each
other and studies show that it can result in even graver conditions like heart
failures, irregular heart rates and heart related diseases. The simple reason
for hypertension with sleep apnoea are sudden drops in oxygen levels due to
sleep apnoea which will increase the blood pressure and stress will be put on
heart.
How to control high
blood pressure?
The risk factors like age, family history and ethnicity are
among the ones that are not in our control. So when we talk about the
preventive measures for hypertension, our focus would be on the factors that
you can actually change.
Try to follow the below mentioned lifestyle changes to
eliminate any reasons for high blood pressure and to bring down the numbers in
case of elevated blood pressure.
- Maintain Healthy weight - People who are overweight should look for methods to lose weight and get a healthy body. Talk with your doctor about the ideal weight you can have and try to achieve it.
- Follow a balanced diet - Taking a healthy diet full of fruits and vegetables and limiting your intake of calories, fat and sugar will surely help in eliminating even the minor signs.
- Cut back on salt - Living on a low-sodium diet helps in keeping the symptoms of high blood pressure at bay. You should cut back on your total salt intake per day by avoiding high-sodium processed foods and by limiting the use of salt in your daily meals.
- Engage in regular exercise - A moderate exercise of about 30 minutes, three times in a week will be a good start to control hypertension. Furthermore, keep in mind, the more you exercise the better.
- Limit the alcohol consumption - Drinking too much of alcohol leads to hypertension. Thus, one should limit its intake to get a hold of the symptoms of high blood pressure.
- Monitor your blood pressure - Above all, it is very important to get your blood pressure checked at regular intervals of period. In case, your doctor determines that you are at an increased risk of developing hypertension, he may recommend you extra steps as a safety.
- Check for Sleep Apnoea - Your uncontrolled blood pressure, despite of prescribed medications could also be the result of sleep apnoea. So, its better you meet a sleep specialist and on his advice, undergo polysomnography to get diagnosed for sleep apnoea. They may recommend you a treatment to bring down your blood pressure.
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