Hypertension Is A Very Dangerous Problem For Which There Is Generally A Simple Answer
In the last few years changes in lifestyle and diet in most western societies have led to a growth in the number of people suffering from high blood pressure.
High blood pressure (otherwise referred to as hypertension, or more correctly arterial hypertension) can be a dangerous condition that seldom shows any symptoms and that, if not detected and treated, can cause stroke, heart attack, heart failure, arterial aneurysm or renal failure - any one of which is a life-threatening condition.
So precisely what is high blood pressure and exactly what causes it?
The arteries of the body are constantly filled with blood which provides a normal 'background' pressure on the walls of the arteries. When your heart pumps freshly oxygenated blood around your body it pushes this blood into the arteries which momentarily raises the pressure on the walls of the arteries with every beat of the heart. These two pressures are called the systolic pressure (the higher pressure as the heart is pumping) and the diastolic pressure (the lower 'background' pressure).
Normal levels of blood pressure differ from one person to the next but, generally, systolic pressure should be in the region of 120 mm Hg and diastolic pressure ought to be around 80 mm Hg. This is frequently shown as a pressure of 120/80.
When your blood pressure begins to rise and stays at a level above 120/80 then you are said to be 'prehypertensive' and, despite the fact that this is not in itself serious, it is a sign that you could be at risk of developing hypertension and the problems which are linked with it. Once your blood pressure reaches, and remains at, a level of 140/90 or above you are said to be suffering from hypertension and steps need to be taken to reduce your blood pressure.
So just what makes you blood pressure rise and than remain at a high level?
Well, there are a number of factors involved here and to begin there is a group over which you have little, or no, control. This group of factors includes a low weight at birth, a number of genetic factors, certain types of diabetes (especially type 2 diabetes) and your age (as we grow older the arteries tend to become fibrous and lose their elasticity, resulting in a smaller cross-sectional area through which the blood can flow).
The second group of factors is far more controllable and includes a sedentary lifestyle, large quantities of salt and saturated fats in the diet, being overweight, smoking tobacco, alcohol abuse, stress and working in certain occupations such as motorway maintenance or flying.
The majority of these factors are treatable and, in most cases, a quite simple change in your eating habits and the addition of a bit of exercise into your daily diary is all that is necessary to reverse the problem. However, the difficulty is that, without any real symptoms, most individuals are not aware that they have hypertension in the first place.
So how can you cure the problem?
Luckily the answer to this particular question is quite simple. All you need to do is to drop by your physician's office regularly (about twice a year should do the trick) and ask him/her to check your blood pressure for you. The whole process is pain free, simple and quick and will provide you with peace of mind and may save your doctor a lot of work, time and expense later on when you are forced to present yourself at his office once high blood pressure has set in.
If you are not all that keen on calling in to see your doctor then one excellent alternative today is to monitor your own blood pressure at home. A large selection of easy to operate and relatively inexpensive blood pressure monitors are available nowadays, allowing you to maintain a check on your own health, as well as the health of of your whole family, in the privacy and comfort of your own home.
