What are the Symptoms and Causes of High Blood Pressure?
Blood pressure can be defined as the pressure exerted on the arteries’ wall by the blood. Arteries carry blood from other organs to the heart. Usually, your blood pressure experiences highs and lows multiple times throughout the day. High blood pressure is when it exceeds the standard blood pressure number. Keeping a regular check on your blood pressure readings through preventive health checkups can reduce the risk of other medical complications.
What Is Hypertension Or High Blood Pressure?
Your body experiences blood pressure fluctuations many times during the day. Hypertension or high blood pressure is when you have a constant hike compared to the normal blood pressure.
Hypertension is considered a risky condition because it is responsible for strokes and heart attacks. You usually suffer from it if your blood pressure is constantly higher than 130/80 mmHg.
What Are The Signs And Symptoms Of High Blood Pressure?
If your blood pressure is exceptionally high, you should be aware of the following symptoms:
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Extensive headaches
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Nosebleed
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Tiredness or perplexity
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Issues with vision
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Chestache
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Breathing difficulties
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Heartbeat irregularity
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Urine with blood in it
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A pounding sensation in your chest, neck, or ears.
What Are Blood Pressure Numbers?
The first number, known as systolic blood pressure, measures the pressure in your arteries as your heart beats. The second number, diastolic blood pressure, measures the pressure in your arteries while your heart is at rest in between beats.
Our normal blood pressure is said to be 120/80 mmHg. 120 denotes the systolic blood pressure measurement, while 80 denotes the diastolic blood pressure.
What problems does high blood pressure cause?
High blood pressure often develops gradually. It can occur due to bad lifestyle choices, such as a lack of regular physical activity. Diabetes and obesity are two health disorders that might raise the chance of developing high blood pressure. High BP can occur during pregnancy as well.
1. Heart Diseases
High blood pressure can damage your arteries by making them less elastic, reducing blood and oxygen flow to your heart, ultimately leading to cardiac diseases. Furthermore, decreasing blood supply to the heart might result in:
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Angina is a type of chest discomfort.
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A heart attack occurs when the blood supply to your heart is cut off, and your heart muscle begins to die due to a lack of oxygen. The more extensive the damage to the heart, the longer the blood flow is restricted.
Heart failure is when your heart cannot supply enough blood and oxygen to your other organs.
2. Brain Complications & Strokes
High BP can cause the arteries that supply the brain with blood and oxygen to rupture or get clogged, resulting in a stroke.
During a stroke, brain cells die due to a lack of oxygen. Stroke can result in severe speech, mobility, and other cognitive skills impairments. A stroke might potentially be fatal.
Hypertension, particularly in middle age, is connected to impaired cognitive function and dementia later in life.
3. Kidney Problems
Being diabetic and suffering from hypertension may also lead to chronic kidney diseases.
How To Know If You Are Having High Blood Pressure?
There is only one way to determine whether you have high blood pressure: have it measured by a doctor or other health expert. It is simple and painless to take your blood pressure readings.
Discuss the possibility of regularly measuring your blood pressure at home with your healthcare provider, commonly known as self-measured blood pressure (SMBP) monitoring.
What Can I Do To Avoid or Control High Blood Pressure?
Many people with high blood pressure can decrease or maintain their blood pressure in a reasonable range by adopting lifestyle modifications. Discuss this with your medical team. Here are a few things you take note of to avoid hypertension;
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Participating in at least 150 minutes of physical activity every week (about 30 minutes a day, 5 days a week)
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Smoking cessation
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Eating a balanced diet includes minimising sodium (salt) and alcohol consumption.
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Maintaining a healthy weight
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Stress management
In addition to adopting healthy lifestyle changes, some people with high blood pressure must take medication to control their blood pressure. By decreasing your blood pressure, you may help protect yourself against heart disease and stroke, sometimes referred to as cardiovascular disease (CVD).
If you have any health concerns that you wish to be answered by our experts, do drop us an email at hr@ajhospital.in. You can also consult with our doctors by booking an appointment on our website today!