Tag: High blood pressure

Who Can Develop High Blood Pressure?

Are you battling high blood pressure? Do you feel like you are the only one? You shouldn’t feel that way because millions of Americans have high blood pressure. Only a certain percentage of them actually know it.

When you see your doctor you have your blood pressure checked. Some people think this is irrelevant because they say they will never have high blood pressure. Probably one of the reasons so many people do not even know they have it. They think for whatever reason it won’t happen to them.

While it can be frustrating to monitor your blood pressure, there are things you can do to help lower it or keep it under control. Exercise is a great way to lower and control your blood pressure.

Close to one in three American adults have high blood pressure. While high blood pressure is very common among Americans, African Americans tend to get it while they are young and more often than white Americans.

Whatever your age or gender or ethnicity, you can easily prevent and control your high blood pressure. There are simple ways like exercising and even simple lifestyle changes to do this.

If you are over weight you are at a greater risk of high blood pressure. The higher your blood pressure is the higher your risk of stroke or heart disease is. Exercising can help you lose weight and also lower your blood pressure.

Eating healthy is also a great way to control blood pressure. Eating the right fruits and vegetables and foods altogether is proven very beneficial. Using less salt and sodium makes a huge difference and also drinking very minimal alcohol.

Tobacco also increases blood pressure, so if you smoke or use any kind of tobacco product, consider limiting yourself if not quitting altogether. You may find it easier to slowly wean yourself from it.

Stresses plays a major factor in blood pressure and let’s admit it, everyone gets stressed at one time or another. If you find yourself dealing with a large amount of stress, you should try some relaxation techniques. Consider meditation, or whatever it is that relaxes you. Do this when needed and you will see a significant improvement in the way you feel.

Did you know the cause of ninety to ninety-five percent of high blood pressure is unknown? Luckily high blood pressure can be easily detected and controlled with multiple options.

Another interesting statistic shows that people with less educational and even income levels usually have higher blood pressure. Do you wonder why this? Maybe a lot of that is stress!

It doesn’t really matter who can develop high blood pressure, it’s controlling it that matters. If you are battling high blood pressure or just want to take necessary precautions to help prevent from getting it, see your doctor. Ask any and all questions and they can help you find a great effective way to lower or control your blood pressure.

Remember to exercise and try to eat healthier. These overall will work wonders and you can thank yourself in the end when your body does.

What Should You Know If You Have High Blood Pressure?

What Should You Know If You Have High Blood Pressure?

If you are battling high blood pressure there are some things you will want to know. First thing you want to understand is what the numbers mean. Your blood pressure will read with a top and bottom number. The top is your systolic pressure and the bottom number is your diastolic pressure.

Normal blood pressure is 120/80 so if your blood pressure reads 130/90 you are at risk for developing high blood pressure. This reading is called prehypertension which is basically a stage before developing high blood pressure.

By having your blood pressure checked and monitored often you can easily lower it where it needs to be. The best way to do this is by maintaining or adopting a healthier lifestyle. Have you always had normal blood pressure until recently?

If this is the case, consider what you have recently started doing different that may have caused it to rise. Did you change your diet? Have you been exercising less? Maybe you are on a medication; some medications can cause your blood pressure to rise.

If you do have high blood pressure you can easily monitor it at home if you choose. If you do this you still want to keep your regular doctor visits. You can share your own results and you can both see what is and isn’t working for you.

If you are on other medications consult your doctor. Chances are one of these could be raising your blood pressure and you want to take control as soon as possible. If your blood pressure gets too high without proper treatment you are at more risk of having a stroke or heart and kidney diseases.

If you have recently changed your diet you should talk to your doctor, especially if your blood pressure has risen since then. Lots of salt and sodium can cause high blood pressure and not enough fresh fruits and vegetables. If this is the case, try to limit your salt intake and get more vegetables in your diet.

Also physical inactivity can be a cause for high blood pressure. Have you recently stopped doing regular every day physical activity? If so, consider starting again. You might have stopped because of an inevitable reason; broken bone, etc. If this is the case talk with your physician. Together you can find a way to still get a little bit of physical activity in your daily routine.

You also want to cut off or limit your use of tobacco and alcohol consumption. Many people do not realize these cause high blood pressure. There are many over the counter medicines and even doctor prescribed medicines to help you quit smoking. There are also many different resources to help you quit drinking.

If your doctor prescribes blood pressure medicine for you, you want to be sure and remember to take it. Some people are bad at remembering to take medication. There are many different ways you can help yourself remember.

You take the risk of a stroke or heart disease by not taking your blood pressure medication. This should be reason enough to take your medicine, but sometimes people just forget. While it sounds like reason enough, if you are not used to taking daily medication it is rather easy to forget.

If you have certain questions or concerns talk with your doctor. They will gladly answer any questions you have and do their best to get your blood pressure at a normal rate again.

What Can Raise Your Blood Pressure?

Are you concerned about what might increase your blood pressure? There are quite a few things that can factor in to raising your blood pressure. Luckily you can fix many of these with a few lifestyle changes.

If you do not watch your blood pressure frequently, you might not even be aware that you have it. It can creep up on you or just increase over the years. It all depends on many different factors.

If you are overweight you are at an increased risk of developing high blood pressure. You might already know this and you might not. If this is the case for you, consult your doctor and see what he might recommend for you. Losing at least ten pounds can significantly lower your blood pressure.

An unhealthy diet or lack of physical activity or exercise can also put you at risk for high blood pressure. Try to exercise at least thirty minutes a day even if you have to space the time out. Eating less salt and more vegetables and fruits can help lower your blood pressure as well. Try to incorporate this into your present diet and you will see the results rather quickly.

Stress plays a huge factor in high blood pressure and unfortunately everyone is stressed at some point in their lives. If you deal with a high amount of stress, consider relaxation techniques. Do whatever you can that you know will calm you down and help relieve stress.

Using tobacco and alcohol raise your blood pressure. If you use either of these consider quitting. If you are unable to quit right away, limit your consumption of alcohol and use of tobacco. There are many over the counter and prescription products to help rid your self of these habits. Talk with your doctor of any concerns you might have.

Medical conditions also factor into high blood pressure along with your lifestyle. Kidney disease can result in high blood pressure as well as cause it. Sleeping disorders that interrupt your breathing during sleep will also raise your blood pressure. Talking with your doctor about your condition could benefit your disorder along with your blood pressure.

Certain medications and drugs can also raise your blood pressure. Certain types of anti-depressants will do this as well as certain cold medicines. Be aware of oral contraceptives, nasal decongestants, anorexia drugs and steroids. These can possibly raise your blood pressure as well so talk with your doctor before taking any of them if you are concerned.

While you can control most of the factors that raise your blood pressure there are some you cannot. For instance your race; African Americans are more prone to high blood pressure, people over fifty-five are at a higher risk, and your family history can play a role in your blood pressure as well. While you cannot control these factors you can easily try to help decrease your risk. Watch your diet, exercise, lifestyle habits, etc. Over time this may be very beneficial to you.

High blood pressure can cause strokes and even heart and kidney diseases. Leading a healthier life style can help you live longer and enjoy your time in a healthy state. Talk with your doctor about any questions or concerns you may have concerning your blood pressure. It is never too late to take control.

Understanding Your Blood Pressure

What is blood pressure? Blood pressure is the force of your blood against the walls of your arteries. Blood pressure consists of two number; a top and bottom number. The top number is the systolic pressure. The bottom number is the diastolic pressure.

Systolic blood pressure is the force of blood in your arteries as your heart beats. If your systolic number is higher than one hundred and forty you have high blood pressure. Even if your diastolic number is not high you can still have ‘isolated systolic hypertension.’ This means only your systolic number is high.

This is more common for older Americans. This pressure usually increases with age whereas diastolic pressure decreases after fifty-five. You might not know if you have isolated systolic hypertension so ask your doctor if you are concerned.

Diastolic blood pressure is the force of blood in your arteries when your heart relaxes between beats. For younger people this is a very important number. The higher this pressure is the more you are at risk. This blood pressure lowers as you get older and your systolic increases. Therefore diastolic is more important in younger people and systolic in older.

Normal blood pressure is less than one hundred and twenty over less than eighty. If your pressure is between the normal numbers and one hundred and thirty-nine over eighty-nine, you have what is called prehypertension. This puts you at risk to develop high blood pressure in the future but it easily preventable.

Hypertension is a name for high blood pressure. Having high blood pressure puts you at risk for heart disease or even strokes. High blood pressure makes your heart work harder than it should and can lead to blindness, kidney disease and even congestive heart failure.

According to statistics high blood pressure killed over fifty-four thousand people in 2004. Statistics also show that twenty-eight percent of people have high blood pressure and aren’t even aware of it. Are you one of them?

You should be aware of the risks of high blood pressure so you can avoid them as best as you can. High blood pressure is a risk for stroke and heart disease. While some risks can be altered or fixed, some cannot. For instance if you use tobacco or are overweight you are at risk for high blood pressure.

You can easily fix this by trying to quit using tobacco and watching your diet to help lose weight. If you have trouble doing either of these on your own, consult your physician. They may be able to prescribe you something or give you useful information to help.

High blood pressure can affect certain parts of your body as well. You might suffer from a stroke. This happens because the high blood pressure can break a weak blood vessel leaving it to bleed into the brain. Also if you have a blood clot blocking a narrow artery, you can also experience a stroke.

Sometimes impaired vision or blindness can occur from high blood pressure. It might eventually cause your blood vessels in your eye to bleed or burst leaving you with blurred or impaired vision.

Your arteries harden as you age, even more so for those in your heart, brain and kidneys. These harder arteries are associated with high blood pressure. When this happens your kidneys and heart have to work harder.

If you have any questions or concerns about your blood pressure ask your doctor. They can answer any questions you might have and find a solution if you do in fact have high blood pressure or might be prone to it. It’s never too late to take care of your body, including your blood pressure.