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High Blood Pressure Can Be A Very Dangerous Condition For Which There Is Frequently A Simple Answer
In recent years changes in lifestyle and diet in the majority of western societies have caused a growth in the number of individuals suffering from high blood pressure.
High blood pressure (otherwise known as hypertension, or more accurately arterial hypertension) can be a serious condition that seldom carries any symptoms and that, if not detected and treated, can lead to stroke, heart attack, heart failure, arterial aneurysm or renal failure - any one of which represents a life-threatening condition.
So just what is high blood pressure and just what causes it?
The arteries of the body are constantly filled with blood which provides a normal 'background' pressure against the artery walls. As the heart pumps newly oxygenated blood around the body it forces this blood into the arteries which momentarily raises the pressure on the walls of the arteries during each heartbeat. These two pressures are known as the systolic pressure (the higher pressure as the heart is pumping) and the diastolic pressure (the lesser 'background' pressure).
Normal levels of blood pressure vary from one person to the next but, on average, systolic pressure should be around 120 mm Hg and diastolic pressure should be in the region of 80 mm Hg. This is ordinarily written as a blood pressure of 120/80.
If your blood pressure begins to rise and stays above 120/80 then you are described as being 'prehypertensive' and, although this is not in itself serious, it is an indication that you could be at risk of developing hypertension and the problems associated with it. As soon as your blood pressure reaches, and stays at, a level of 140/90 or higher you are said to be suffering from hypertension and steps should be taken to lower your blood pressure.
But just what causes your blood pressure to rise and then stay at a high level?
Well, there are numerous factors at play here and to begin there is a group over which you have little, if any, control. This group includes a low weight at birth, various genetic factors, certain forms of diabetes (in particular type 2 diabetes) and your age (as we grow older our arteries display a tendency to become fibrous and lose their elasticity, producing a reduced cross-sectional area for the blood to flow through).
The second group of factors is much more controllable and includes leading a sedentary lifestyle, large levels of salt and saturated fats in your diet, being overweight, smoking tobacco, alcohol abuse, stress and employment in certain occupations such as flying or motorway maintenance.
Most of these factors are of course treatable and, in many cases, a simple change in your diet and the addition of a bit of exercise into your daily plan is all that is necessary to resolve the problem. The difficulty however is that, with few, or no, symptoms, the vast majority of people do not know that they have hypertension to start with.
So how do you cure the problem?
Well, fortunately, the answer to this particular question is quite simple. All you need to do is to drop by your physician's office on a regular basis (a couple of times a year will do the trick) and ask him/her to check your blood pressure for you. The process is painless, simple and quick and will give you peace of mind and may save your doctor a lot of work, time and expense later on when you are forced to drop by his office once hypertension sets in.
If you are not all that keen on visiting your doctor then an excellent alternative today is to simply monitor your own blood pressure. A wide range of easy to operate and reasonably inexpensive blood pressure monitors are available now, allowing you to maintain a check on your own health, as well as the health of of your entire family, in the comfort and privacy of your own home.
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