High Blood Pressure Is A Very Dangerous Condition For Which There Is Normally A Quite Simple Solution
In recent years changes in lifestyle and diet in many western societies have resulted in an increase in the number of individuals suffering from high blood pressure.
High blood pressure (which is otherwise known as hypertension, or more accurately arterial hypertension) can be a serious condition which seldom shows any symptoms and which, if not detected and treated, can lead to stroke, heart attack, heart failure, arterial aneurysm or renal failure - any one of which is a serious life-threatening condition.
So exactly what is hypertension and precisely what causes it?
The arteries within your body are constantly filled with blood that produces a normal 'background' pressure against the artery walls. As your heart pumps freshly oxygenated blood around the body it pushes this blood into the arteries which momentarily raises the pressure on the walls of the arteries with each heartbeat. These two pressures are known as the systolic pressure (the higher pressure as the heart pumps) and the diastolic pressure (the lower 'background' pressure).
Normal blood pressure varies from one individual to the next but, on average, systolic pressure should be about 120 mm Hg and diastolic pressure ought to be around 80 mm Hg. This is usually expressed as a blood pressure of 120/80.
When your blood pressure starts to rise and remains above 120/80 then you are described as being '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 all of the problems associated with it. Once your blood pressure rises to, and remains at, a level of 140/90 or above then you are said to be suffering from hypertension and steps should be taken to reduce your blood pressure.
But just what makes you blood pressure rise and stay at a high level?
Well, there are various 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 birth weight, a variety of genetic factors, certain forms of diabetes (in particular type 2 diabetes) and your age (as we grow older the arteries display a tendency to become fibrous and lose their elasticity, creating a smaller cross-sectional area for the blood to flow through).
The next group of factors is much more within your control and includes a sedentary lifestyle, high levels of salt and saturated fats in the diet, excess weight, smoking, alcohol abuse, stress and working in specific occupations like motorway maintenance or flying.
The vast majority of these factors are treatable and, in a lot of cases, a simple adjustment to your diet and the addition of a bit of exercise into your daily plan is all that is necessary to cure the problem. However, the difficulty is that, with few, or no, symptoms, most people are not aware that they are suffering from high blood pressure to start with.
So how can you solve the problem?
Well, fortunately, the answer to this question is fairly simple. All you need to do is to drop by your physician's office regularly (about twice a year will do the trick) and ask him/her to check your blood pressure. The procedure is painless, simple and quick and will provide you with peace of mind and can save your doctor a lot of work, time and expense down the road when you are forced to present yourself at his office once high blood pressure has set in.
If you are not so keen on calling in to see your doctor then an excellent alternative today is to simply check your own blood pressure at home. A wide range of easy to operate and relatively inexpensive blood pressure monitors are now available, allowing you to keep an eye on your own health, and the health of of your whole family, in the comfort and privacy of your own home.