High Blood Pressure A Dangerous Problem With An Often Simple Solution


High Blood Pressure:

In recent years changes in diet and lifestyle in many western societies have led to an increase in the number of people suffering from high blood pressure.

High blood pressure (otherwise known as hypertension, or more correctly arterial hypertension) is a serious condition which rarely carries any symptoms and which, if not detected and treated, can lead to stroke, heart attack, heart failure, arterial aneurysm or renal failure all of which are series life-threatening conditions.

So just what is high blood pressure and what causes it?

The arteries of your body and constantly filled with blood which exerts a normal "background" pressure on the walls of the arteries. As the heart pumps freshly oxygenated blood around the body it forces this blood into the arteries momentarily raising the pressure exerted on the walls of the arteries during each beat of the heart. These two pressures are known as the systolic pressure (the higher pumping pressure of the heart) and the diastolic pressure (the lower "background" pressure).

Normal levels of blood pressure vary from individual to individual but, on average, systolic pressure should be around 120 mm Hg (millimeters of mercury measured on a manometer) and diastolic pressure should be about 80 mm Hg. This is ordinarily expressed as a blood pressure of 120/80.

If your blood pressure starts to rise and remains at a level above 120/80 then you are described as being "prehypertensive" and, while this is not serious in itself, it is an indication that you may be at risk of developing hypertension and the problems associated with it. Once your blood pressure reaches, and maintains, a level of 140/90 or above you are said to be suffering from hypertension and action needs to be taken to reduce your blood pressure.

But what causes your blood pressure to rise and remain elevated?

Well, there are several factors at play here and the first is a group over which you have little, if any, control. This group includes a low birth weight, a variety of genetic factors, certain forms of diabetes (in particular type 2 diabetes) and your age (as we grow older our 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 much more within your control and includes leading a sedentary lifestyle, high levels of salt and/or saturated fats in the diet, being overweight, smoking, alcohol abuse, stress and working in certain occupations such as flying or motorway maintenance, which involves exposure to long periods of high level roadway noise.

The vast majority of these factors are of course treatable and, in many cases, a simple adjustment to your diet and the addition of some form of exercise into your daily routine is all that is needed to solve the problem. The difficulty however is that, without any real symptoms, most people simply don't know that they are suffering from high blood pressure in the first place.

So how do you solve the problem?

Fortunately the answer to this question is very simple. All you need to do is to pop into your doctor's office on a regular basis (for most of us a couple of times a year will do the trick) and ask the doctor, or practice nurse, to check your blood pressure. The whole process is painless, simple and fast and will give you peace of mind and possibly save your doctor a lot of time, work and expense later on when you are forced to present yourself at his office once hypertension has set in.

If, like most people, you are not so keen on visiting your doctor then an excellent alternative today is to simply monitor your own blood pressure at home. A wide range of easy to operate and relatively inexpensive monitors are available today, allowing you to keep an eye on your own health, and that of your family, in the comfort and privacy of your own home.

For more information on high blood pressure or blood pressure monitors please visit MonitorYourBloodPressure.info today.


Hot Topics In High Blood Pressure

    How High Is Your Risk of High Blood Pressure?

    Are you aware of the risk of high blood pressure, or hypertension? Do you know how to tell if you're at risk?

    Unfortunately, there are many underlying causes of hypertension, or high blood pressure,...

    Coffee and High Blood Pressure, Friend or foe?

    Caffeine, Good or Bad for the Blood Pressure? This is another one of those is it or isnt it issues that probably by and large depends on a whole variety of associated issues but as it is one of the mo...

    Why You Must Know That High Blood Pressure Can Cause Headaches

    Being overweight, drinking a lot of alcohol and not eating right contribute to high blood pressure. The person may not notice anything wrong now but in a few years, this will come in the form of a str...

    Controlling High Blood Pressure Is The Easiest Thing To Do

    Controlling blood pressure is the easiest thing to do, provided you know the fundamentals. It has to do much with your eating and drinking habits.

    Look into the mirror. Do not see...

    5 Natural Ways To Cure High Blood Pressure

    High blood pressure is one of the major diseases in the USA today. There are more obese people in America than they were two decades ago. Americans are seized of the issue and they kn...

    Determining Your Causes Of High Blood Pressure

    If you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure it's likely that you suddenly have many questions. Understanding how blood pressure, left untreated, can negatively impact your body is first and fo...

    Common Herbs For High Blood Pressure

    Herbs and spices have long been used as food flavor and aroma enhancers. People have known for a long time that some plants come with the ability to make food taste better or different. The knowledge ...

    Lower Blood Pressure Naturally with Common Herbs

    With a little knowledge and a sense of enquiry, people with hypertension can lower their blood pressure using herbs that can be found right in their backyard.

    People who are prone to developing hype...

    Symptoms Of Low Blood Pressure

    Low blood pressure is a condition in which a person's blood pressure is much lower than normal. This can result in symptoms such as lightheadedness, dizziness or even collapse. Blood pressure that is ...

    High Blood Pressure Diet and Vitamins

    2005, the year the worlds fascination with taking Multivitamins died? Sounds controversial I know and may be a slight exaggeration but actually it is not too far from the truth. 2005 and latterly 2006...

    Lowering High Blood Pressure in Women

    High blood pressure (hypertension) affects more and more women in the US. There are several reasons for this. The most important one is the overuse of antibiotics in our culture. Antibiotics not only ...

    High Blood Pressure - Initial Investigations

    You may wonder why your high blood pressure was not diagnosed until you had to have a medical for your new insurance policy. This is probably because you had not had your blood pressure measured for s...

Most Recent High Blood Pressure Supplements

Newly Popular Illness Articles

    Foods To Avoid When You Suffer Acid Reflux

    When you have been diagnosed with acid reflux, you know that there are certain foods you need to avoid. Avoiding certain foods can help you feel better and lessen the damage to your esophagus. If you ...

    Efficacy Of Garlic Consumption For High Cholesterol Afflicted Folk.

    If you are looking for best natural remedy or preventive technique for cholesterol abnormality you simply need to fetch garlic in your home. A few cloves of garlic intake everyday would safely keep yo...

    3 Common Back Pain Questions Answered

    Millions of people struggle with back pain and fail to get lasting relief and the primary reason is a lack of knowledge and understanding about back pain.

    In our work with over 20,000 back pain suf...

    How To Live As Free As Possible From Asthma Attack

    Asthma attack can be minimized with some commonsense strategies. Knowing what triggers an asthma attack in you is the first step in cutting down the incidence of attack.

    A good management plan varie...

    How High Is Your Risk of High Blood Pressure?

    Are you aware of the risk of high blood pressure, or hypertension? Do you know how to tell if you're at risk?

    Unfortunately, there are many underlying causes of hypertension, or high blood pressure,...

    Headache Pain Remedies: What Your Options are

    Headaches often affect several areas of the head including a network of nerves that extends over the scalp, face, mouth and throat. Since they contain very delicate nerve fibers, they are sensitive to...

    Natural Allergy Remedies Without Side Effects

    Burning, itchy, red eyes and tightly choked up or irritatingly fluid noses are a part of the allergic reaction and bad time of the year. Water collects in the head, particularly about the ears. Cuddle...

    Four Natural Treatments for Diabetes

    There is something to be said for a diabetes natural treatment. Why is a natural treatment so important? My concern is about how drugs interact with the body and other drugs in the body. And while tak...

    What To Do With A Food Allergy?

    For many, food centers on celebrations - holidays, school events, special occasions, and family reunions. Food is not only a source of energy and sustenance, but for some, food is a highlight at these...

    Folliculitis - Causes, Symptoms, and Treatment

    Definition

    Folliculitis is the infection of hair follicles. Folliculitis can affect both women and men. It can also occur at any age. It can develop on any part of the body. But it is most likely to...

Interesting Today:

Most Recent Illness Blogs:

Releated to Illness:

High Blood Pressure Links: