What is high blood pressure?
Narrow arteries increase resistance. The narrower your arteries
are, the higher your blood pressure will be. Over the long term, increased
pressure can cause health issues, including heart disease.
Hypertension is quite common. In fact, over half of the
population adults is living with this condition. Hypertension typically
develops over the course of several years. Usually, you don’t notice any
symptoms. But even without symptoms, high blood pressure can cause damage to
your blood vessels and organs, especially the brain, heart, eyes, and kidneys. Early
detection is important. Regular blood pressure readings can help you
Treatment for hypertension includes both prescription medication
and healthy lifestyle changes. If the condition isn’t treated, it could lead to
health issues, including heart attack and stroke.
What causes high blood pressure?
There are two types of hypertension. Each type has a different
cause.
Primary hypertension
Primary hypertension is also called essential hypertension. This
kind of hypertension develops over time with no identifiable cause. Most people
have this type of high blood pressure.
Researchers are still unclear what mechanisms cause blood
pressure to slowly increase. A combination of factors may play a role. These
factors include:
- Genes: Some people are genetically predisposed to
hypertension. This may be from gene mutations or genetic abnormalities
inherited from your parents.
- Physical changes: If something in your body changes, you may begin
experiencing issues throughout your body. High blood pressure may be one
of those issues. For example, it’s thought that changes in your kidney
function due to aging may upset the body’s natural balance of salts and
fluid. This change may cause your body’s blood pressure to increase.
- Environment: Over time, unhealthy lifestyle choices like lack of
physical activity and poor diet can take their toll on your body.
Lifestyle choices can lead to weight problems. Being overweight or obese
can increase your risk for hypertension.
Secondary hypertension
Secondary hypertension often occurs quickly and can become more
severe than primary hypertension. Several conditions that may cause secondary
hypertension include:
- kidney disease
- obstructive sleep apnea
- congenital heart defects
- problems with your thyroid
- side
effects of medications
- use
of illegal drugs
- alcohol abuse or chronic use
- adrenal gland problems
- certain
endocrine tumors
What are the symptoms of hypertension?
Symptoms of severe hypertension can include:
- headaches
- shortness
of breath
- nosebleeds
- flushing
- dizziness
- chest
pain
- visual
changes
- blood
in the urine
These symptoms require immediate medical attention. They don’t
occur in everyone with hypertension, but waiting for a symptom of this
condition to appear could be fatal.
The best way to know if you have hypertension is to get regular
blood pressure readings.
Diagnosing high blood
pressure
Diagnosing hypertension is as simple as taking a blood pressure
reading. If your blood pressure is elevated, your doctor may request you have
more readings over the course of a few days or weeks. A hypertension diagnosis
is rarely given after just one reading. Your doctor needs to see evidence of a
sustained problem. That’s because your environment can contribute to increased
blood pressure, such as the stress you may feel by being at the doctor’s
office. Also, blood pressure levels change throughout the day.
If your blood pressure remains high, your doctor will likely
conduct more tests to rule out underlying conditions. These tests can include:
- urine test
- cholesterol screening and other blood tests
- test of your heart’s electrical activity with an electrocardiogram (EKG, sometimes referred to as an ECG)
- ultrasound of your heart or kidneys
These tests can help your doctor identify any secondary
issues causing your elevated blood pressure. They can also look at the effects high blood pressure may have had on your organs. Early treatment may reduce your risk of lasting damage.
How to understand high blood pressure readings
- Systolic pressure: This is the first, or top, number. It indicates the
pressure in your arteries when your heart beats and pumps out blood.
- Diastolic pressure: This is the second, or bottom, number. It’s the
reading of the pressure in your arteries between beats of your heart.
Five categories define
blood pressure readings for adults:
- Healthy:
A healthy blood pressure
reading is less than 120/80 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg).
- Elevated: The systolic number is between 120 and 129 mm Hg, and
the diastolic number is less than 80 mm Hg. Doctors usually don’t treat
elevated blood pressure with medication. Instead, your doctor may
encourage lifestyle changes to help lower your numbers.
- Stage 1 hypertension: The
systolic number is between 130 and 139 mm Hg, or the diastolic number is
between 80 and 89 mm Hg.
- Stage 2 hypertension: The
systolic number is 140 mm Hg or higher, or the diastolic number is 90 mm
Hg or higher.
- Hypertensive crisis: The
systolic number is over 180 mm Hg, or the diastolic number is over 120 mm
Hg. Blood pressure in this range requires urgent medical attention. If any
symptoms such as chest pain, headache, shortness of breath, or visual
changes occur when blood pressure is this high, medical care in the
emergency room is needed.
A blood pressure reading is taken with a pressure cuff. For an
accurate reading, it’s important you have a cuff that fits. An ill-fitting cuff
may deliver inaccurate readings.
Blood pressure readings are different for children and
teenagers. Ask your child’s doctor for the healthy ranges for your child if
you’re asked to monitor their blood pressure.
Treatment options for
high blood pressure
A number of factors help your doctor determine the best
treatment option for you. These factors include which type of hypertension you
have and what causes have been identified.
Primary hypertension treatment options
If your doctor diagnoses you with primary hypertension, lifestyle
changes may help reduce your high blood pressure. If lifestyle changes alone
aren’t enough, or if they stop being effective, your doctor may prescribe
medication.
Secondary hypertension treatment options
If your doctor discovers an underlying issue causing your
hypertension, treatment will focus on that other condition. For example, if a
medicine you’ve started taking is causing increased blood pressure, your doctor
will try other medicines that don’t have this side effect or nutritional
supplements.
Sometimes, hypertension is persistent despite treatment for the
underlying cause. In this case, your doctor may work with you to develop
lifestyle changes and recommend you use some nutritional supplements.
Treatment plans for hypertension often evolve. What worked at first may become less useful over time. Your doctor will continue to work with you to refine your treatment.
Home remedies for high blood pressure
Healthy lifestyle changes can help you control the factors that
cause hypertension. Here are some of the most common home remedies.
Developing a healthy diet
A heart-healthy diet is vital for helping to reduce high blood
pressure. It’s also important for managing hypertension that is under control
and reducing the risk of complications. These complications include heart
disease, stroke, and heart attack.
A heart-healthy diet emphasizes foods that include:
- fruits
- vegetables
- whole grains
- lean proteins like fish
Increasing physical activity
Reaching a healthy weight should include being more physically
active. In addition to helping you shed pounds, exercise can help reduce
stress, lower blood pressure naturally, and strengthen your cardiovascular
system.
Aim to get 150 minutes of moderate physical activity each week.
That’s about 30 minutes five times per week.
Reaching a healthy weight
If you are overweight or obese, losing weight through a
heart-healthy diet and increased physical activity can help lower your blood
pressure.
Managing stress
Exercise is a great way to manage stress. Other activities can
also be helpful. These include:
- meditation
- deep breathing
- massage
- muscle relaxation
- yoga or tai chi
These are all proven stress-reducing techniques. Getting
adequate sleep can also help reduce stress levels.
Adopting a cleaner lifestyle
If you’re a smoker, try to quit. The chemicals in tobacco smoke
damage the body’s tissues and harden blood vessel walls.
If you regularly consume too much alcohol or have an alcohol
dependency, seek help to reduce the amount you drink or stop altogether.
Alcohol can raise blood pressure.
Dietary
recommendations for people with high blood pressure
One of the easiest ways you can treat hypertension and prevent
possible complications is through your diet. What you eat can go a long way
toward easing or eliminating hypertension.
Here are some of the most common dietary recommendations for
people with hypertension.
Eat less meat, more plants
Reduce dietary sodium
Cut back on sweets
Incorporate Natural Organic Nutritional Supplements
What are the effects of high blood pressure on the body?
Because hypertension is often a silent condition, it can cause
damage to your body for years before symptoms become obvious. If hypertension
isn’t treated, you may face serious, even fatal, complications.
Complications of hypertension include the following.
Damaged arteries
Healthy arteries are flexible and strong. Blood flows freely and
unobstructed through healthy arteries and vessels.
Hypertension makes arteries tougher, tighter, and less elastic.
This damage makes it easier for dietary fats to deposit in your arteries and
restrict blood flow. This damage can lead to increased blood pressure,
blockages, and, eventually, heart attack and stroke.
Damaged heart
Hypertension makes your heart work too hard. The increased
pressure in your blood vessels forces your heart’s muscles to pump more
frequently and with more force than a healthy heart should have to.
This may cause an enlarged heart. An enlarged heart increases
your risk for the following:
- heart failure
- arrhythmias
- sudden cardiac death
- heart attack
Damaged brain
Your brain relies on a healthy supply of oxygen-rich blood to
work properly. High blood pressure can reduce your brain’s supply of blood:
- Temporary blockages of blood flow to the
brain are called transient ischemic attacks
(TIAs).
- Significant blockages of blood flow cause brain cells
to die. This is known as a stroke.
Uncontrolled hypertension may also affect your memory and
ability to learn, recall, speak, and reason. Treating hypertension often
doesn’t erase or reverse the effects of uncontrolled hypertension. It does,
however, lower the risks for future problems.
High blood pressure: Tips for prevention
If you have risk factors for hypertension, you can take steps
now to lower your risk for the condition and its complications.
Add healthy foods to your diet
Adjust how you think of the average dinner
plate
Cut sugar
Set weight loss goals
Monitor your blood pressure regularly
The best way to prevent complications and avoid problems is to
catch hypertension early. You can come into your doctor’s office for a blood
pressure reading, or your doctor may ask you to purchase a blood pressure cuff
and take readings at home.
Keep a log of your blood pressure readings and take it to your
regular doctor appointments. This can help your doctor see any possible
problems before the condition advances.