›› High Blood Pressure
High Blood pressure
is the most common health problem that strikes adults in the United
States of America. While everyone has blood pressure, higher than
normal (or in some cases, lower than normal) blood pressure can be a
health risk. Regular blood pressure is the force that is exerted on the
blood vessels and heart by the flowing motion of the blood. It has two
basic components – systolic pressure, which is the maximum
pressure in the arteries when the heart is actively pumping blood and
diastolic pressure, which is the minimum pressure when the heart is
resting between beats. While the normal blood pressure of an adult is
considered to be 120 over 80 millimeters of mercury, anything above
this is considered to be a clinical case of high blood pressure.
High blood pressure is considered to be dangerous due to a variety of
reasons. For one thing, a person with high blood pressure is considered
to be at an increased risk for heart diseases, strokes and even heart
failure. For another, those with high blood pressure are said to be
more likely to end up with renal diseases and kidney failure. Studies
reveal that more than 32% of adult Americans suffer from high blood
pressure. While there may be no obvious symptoms of high blood
pressure, indications like breathlessness, unexplained weakness,
obesity, quick temper, slurring of speech, excessive sweating etc may
prove the existence of high blood pressure. High blood pressure is also
known as a silent killer because most of the symptoms can pass off for
general ailments. Nobody is likely to attribute them to high blood
pressure and most people discover that they are in fact suffering from
high blood pressure at a much later stage. With age and an inactive
lifestyle, the risk of developing high blood pressure only increases.
Unhealthy lifestyle issues also figure prominently in the list of usual
suspects that produce and sustain high blood pressure.
Controlling and preventing high blood pressure is quite simple. First
and foremost, you need to get a check up by a physician in order to
determine if you indeed have high blood pressure. Based on the results
of the test, your physician will tell you what you need to do. However,
some of the general requirements to keep high blood pressure in control
include the following. If you are obese or tend towards obesity, you
need to immediately start off on a program to lose weight. Physical
activity is the best way to do this. Next, and very important, is that
sufferers of high blood pressure need to reduce their salt intake.
Alcohol too is among the banned or moderated foods/drinks for people
with high blood pressure. Finally, smoking is another cause of high
blood pressure and needs to be curtailed or stopped altogether. In
addition to these, there are a number of high blood pressure drugs that
may be used (only with a prescription!) to keep high blood pressure
under control. Remember that high blood pressure is not a fatal
illness. But failure to control it may lead to other fatal
complications. So act now before it is too late!
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A Healthy Dose of Good Advice
