High Blood Pressure - These symptoms may mean you have this, so lower do...

High Blood Pressure is defined as high tension in the arteries which are the vessels that carry blood from the heart to the rest of the body. Anyone whose blood pressure is 140/90 mmHg or more for a sustained period is said to have high blood pressure, or hypertension. People who are determined with high blood pressure should have their blood pressure checked frequently. Even if yours is normal, you should have it checked at least once every five years, and more often if you have any contributory factors. If the High Blood Pressure is not treated or controlled the excessive pressure on the artery walls can lead to damage of the blood vessels (cardiovascular disease), as well as vital organs. The extent of damage depends on two factors; the severity of the High Blood Pressure and how long it goes on for untreated. Even though there is no any cause identified for essential high blood pressure however there is very strong evidence linking some risk factors to the likelihood of developing the condition. Treatment for high blood pressure depends on several factors, such its severity, associated risks of developing stroke or cardiovascular, disease, etc.

Lower down blood pressure

Maintaining a healthy lifestyle in this 21^st century is a big task for the people and particularly for those who have a hectic schedule. Having High Blood Pressure or Hypertension, is a precursor to heart disease. It can lead to heart attack, heart and kidneyfailure, strokes, anxiety or even premature death if not controlled former. Almost 40 percent of total population of the world have been diagnosed and is dealing with High Blood Pressure. It can threaten your life but can also be lowered if taken appropriate care. Medication also helps in improving blood pressure. And you can bring some effective changes to your lifestyle as well that could help in restoring this intrusive ailment.

Tips to lower down blood pressure

There are various types of tips which are advised by doctors to keep your blood pressure in control. 

Some of the common tips are as follows:

Regular exercise: Exercising regularly can really help the one dealing with high blood pressure or hypertension to reduce it to a level. Exercise is one way of countering the detrimental effects of high blood pressure. Vigorous exercise stimulates the production of nitric oxide, which is a substance that keeps the blood vessels open. In the long period, this helps in lowering blood circulation. Regular physical activity for least 30 minutes a day of the week can lower your blood pressure by 4 to 9 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). It's important to be unswerving because if you stop exercising, your blood pressure can rise again.

If you have slightly high blood pressure (pre-hypertension), then exercise can help you to avoid developing full-blown hypertension. If you already have hypertension then regular physical activity can bring your blood pressure down to some safer levels.

The best types of exercises for lowering blood pressure include walking, jogging, cycling, swimming, running or dancing. Strength training also can help to reduce blood pressure. Talk to your doctor about creating an exercise program which will keep you and your blood pressure healthy.

Maintaining a healthy diet:

ü  Eating a diet that is rich in whole grains, fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy products and skimps on saturated fat and cholesterol can lower your blood pressure by up to 14 mm Hg.

ü  Cutting out all the caffeine can lower blood pressure by 10-15 points off the top and 8-10 points off the bottom.

ü  Try to cut down all bad eating habits like junk food, unhealthy street foods, more cholesterol prone dines, etc.

ü  Cinnamon helps lower blood pressure as well as circulating blood glucose, triglycerides, and Low Density Lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol.

ü  The goal is to eat low in fat, calories and high in fiber and minerals while cutting down on red meats, sugar and salt.

Limited amount of Alcohol: Consumption of alcohol can both be good or bad depending upon the amount you intake. If you are drinking 2-4 mm hg of alcohol, it might lower the risk of high blood pressure but taking too much of it can threaten that protective effect of lowering it. Drinking more than restrained amounts of alcohol can actually raise blood pressure by several points. Alcohol is good when limited.

Reduce stress level: Chronic stress is an important contributor to high blood pressure. Taking stress occasionally can also contribute to high blood pressure that may result in making your diet unhealthy and ending you up on drinking abnormal amount of alcohol, junk food or maybe smoking. Take 15 to 20 minutes a day to sit quietly and breathe deeply for your mental peace.

Stop that hand for smoking: Smoking kills a person slowly without even knowing. As it is written on the top of the cigarette pack “Smoking is injurious to health” it proofs to be true. Smoking can lead to higher the risk of blood pressure as the nicotine in cigarette smoke is a big part of the problem. It raises your blood pressure and heart rate, narrows your arteries and hardens their walls, and makes your blood more likely to clot. It stresses your heart and sets you up for a heart attack or stroke.

Preventing and monitoring the controlling measures of high blood pressure at home can actually lower the risk of it. Regular checkups from the doctor can actually help. Consult a cardiologist doctor for various home remedies through which can actually lower and control your blood pressure to a level. Supportive family and friends can help in improving your health. They may encourage you to take care of yourself, drive you to the doctor's office or embark on an exercise program with you to keep your blood pressure low. Keep yourself in touch with people who boost up your moral and let you cope up in this condition.

What Causes High Blood Pressure? You Should Know About This

The force exerted by the blood on the arterial walls while flowing from one organ to another is measured as blood pressure (BP). The optimal level of for a healthy adult is about 120/80 mm Hg. However, this level may suffer a dip or rise, owing to lifestyle habits, stress, and other changes in the body. Just as low BP is unhealthy, similarly, a high BP or hypertension can also prove to be risky. A person suffering from hypertension may show the figure as 140/90 mm Hg on a sphygmomanometer, a medical instrument used for measuring blood pressure. If this level rises suddenly, it can be a cause of grave concern, since it may also be an indication for some unhealthy disorders in the body. One of the best ways to prevent this is to go for a routine analysis to a doctor.

List of Causes

The reasons for this condition in women and men are almost similar, i.e., it is experienced due to an increase in the force exerted by the blood on the walls of the blood vessels. There are several other reasons, a few of which are listed below. 

• One of the most common reasons is anxiety and stress. Episodes of anxiety and stressful conditions can cause your BP to increase suddenly. When the body undergoes stress or anxiety, certain hormones are released that make the heart pump faster, due to constriction of the blood vessels.
• Another cause for momentary increase can be due to severe pain as a result of injuries. Sudden, stabbing pain can pump up the BP, as well as increase in the heart rate.
• Pregnancy is one of the factors for experiencing this condition as well. It can be felt due to some complications like pre-eclampsia. This condition, due to fluid retention, can result when the body is unable to regulate pressure, which may result in fluctuations in the BP levels and lead to high BP during pregnancy.
• Over-consumption of salt can also be one of the vital reasons. Excessive sodium intake may be because of eating too many processed foods and even because of junk food.
• Weight issues like obesity is also responsible for the drastic increase. Since fat gets clogged in the blood vessels, insufficient blood is supplied to the heart. The heart needs to work extra to suffice the requirement of blood throughout the body, as a result of which there is a sudden rise.
• A few other causes can be due to hormonal imbalances, excess caffeine intake, drug interactions, and the presence of kidney disease. Elevation is commonly noticed in patients undergoing dialysis.
• According to a recent research, some doctors have observed that genetics also plays a crucial role when it comes to noticing high blood pressure. Individuals who have a family history of hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases are at a higher risk of contraction them when compared to others who have no previous history.

Symptoms

A close observation of the signs and symptoms of this problem will be indicative of the presence of this health disorder. Given below are some of the signs for noticing a spike in the normal level.

• Sweating profusely
• Unable to stand or sit for a longer time
• Shortness of breath or shallow breathing
• A rapid increase in heartbeats
• Dizziness and fainting spells
• Feeling sleepy all the time
• Blurred vision, and episodes of blackout
• Nosebleeds
• Unable to concentrate
• Tinnitus, or ringing in either or both the ears
• Nausea induced vomiting
• Lethargy

Remedies 

Lowering high BP is a must in order to avoid complications which may be life-threatening and also cause fatality in some cases. 

• Staying away from stress and anxiety will prove to be helpful. One of the best treatments without any side effects is practising meditation and yoga.
• A change in the lifestyle and following a proper exercise regimen will also help.
• There are also several natural remedies to prevent it from increasing again.
• Following a proper diet will also help.

Awareness regarding the dangers of this problem is always productive in avoiding its occurrence. Whatever be the reason, it is essential to regularly monitor the levels so that a rise or drop can be identified and prompt treatment provided.

Why High Blood Pressure is a Health Concern?

When the heart pumps blood to circulate it all over the body, a specific amount of force is exerted on the vessels. It is this pressure that is known as blood pressure. When a person has high blood pressure, the heart makes extra efforts for proper circulation of the blood. As a result, sufficient amount of blood may not reach the vital organs of the body. Decrease in oxygen supply prohibits normal functioning of these organs.

Effects of Hypertension

Arteries: Hypertension causes substantial damage to the inner lining of the arteries and can make the flexible arteries of the body, thick and stiff. This condition is known as arteriosclerosis. When dietary fats get absorbed into the blood and move through the arteries with damaged cells, they get collected on the walls of the arteries and narrow down the passage, thus causing atherosclerosis. Due to continuous exertion of high pressure on the damaged blood vessels, walls of the arteries bulge out. This is called aneurysm and it may result in breaking up of the artery walls and cause internal bleeding. These three forms of damage in the arteries can result in certain serious health consequences.

Heart: It adversely affects the heart's health. With an increase in the blood pressure, the heart muscles have to work very hard to carry out their activities. They, in turn, get tensed and weak, and are unable to function properly. The improper functioning of heart muscles may prove fatal, as they can cause heart failure. Also, the extra pressure makes the heart's left ventricle large and stiff. This reduces the capacity of the heart to pump blood. Thus, the risk of a heart attack and sudden cardiac arrest resulting in death is increased. Coronary artery disease narrows down the passage of those arteries that are responsible for supplying blood to the heart muscles. Thus, the free flow of blood becomes difficult and gives rise to pain in the chest muscles (called angina). Sometimes, blood flow through the arteries can be completely or partially blocked due to atherosclerosis. As a result, irregular heart rhythms (or arrhythmias) or heart attacks may occur. The chances of a severe heart attack are more in those people, who have hypertension.

Brain: Like any other organ of our body, proper functioning of the brain is dependent on the nutrients supplied through the blood. When blood pressure rises to an uncontrollable extent, it not only weakens or damages the blood vessels, but also causes blood clots in the arteries of the brain. Due to these clots, supply of oxygen and nutrients to the brain decreases and the brain cells die. This condition is known as a stroke. Furthermore, in a transient ischemic attack (TIA), also known as mini stroke, blood supply to the brain is temporarily disrupted due to atherosclerosis. Dementia is a form of brain disease in which thinking, reasoning, vision, and movements are affected because of blockage or narrowing down of the arteries.

Kidneys: The main function of the kidneys is to throw out the waste material from the body. There are tiny blood vessels in the kidneys, which are known as glomeruli. They are responsible for filtering the fluid and waste present in our blood. High blood pressure can render them ineffective and lead to a type of kidney damage known as glomerulosclerosis. Similarly, when arteries that lead to the kidneys are damaged, the kidneys fail to filter out the unwanted material from the bloodstream and this is termed as kidney failure. Accumulation of these substances in the blood is a serious health concern. Sometimes, dialysis or akidney transplant may be required to treat this health condition. Another kidney disorder that arises due to high blood pressure is kidney (renal) artery aneurysm, which is the formation of a bulge on the weakened artery wall.

The biggest problem is that high blood pressure does not have any signs and symptoms from which it can be detected. It can be diagnosed only when the blood pressure of a person is checked to identify other health problems.