High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)
What You Should Know About High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)
High blood pressure is also known as hypertension. It can cause serious health problems and raise the risk of heart disease, stroke, and even death.
The force exerted by a person’s blood on the walls of their blood vessels is known as blood pressure. The resistance of the blood arteries and the amount of effort the heart needs to do determine the pressure.
In India, about half of all adults have excessive blood pressure, yet many are unaware of it.
Hypertension is a leading cause of cardiovascular disease, which includes stroke, heart attack, heart failure, and aneurysm. It’s important to keep your blood pressure under control is essential for maintaining health and lowering the chance of developing these harmful illnesses.
What causes high blood pressure?
There are two types of hypertension. Each type has a different cause.
Hypertension due to a primary cause
Essential hypertension is another name for primary hypertension. This kind of hypertension develops gradually and has no known aetiology. This is the most common kind of high blood pressure.
The factors that cause blood pressure to gradually rise are yet unknown to researchers. A number of things might be at play. These elements include:
Genes
Hypertension is a condition that some people are genetically prone to. This might be due to inherited genetic abnormalities or gene mutations from your parents.
Physical changes
If anything in your body changes, you may start to have problems all over your body. One of these concerns might be high blood pressure. Changes in kidney function that occur with age, for example, are considered to alter the body’s normal salt and fluid balance. Your blood pressure may rise as a result of this alteration.
Environment
Unhealthy lifestyle choices, such as a lack of physical exercise and a bad diet, can take a toll on your body over time. Weight concerns can be caused by lifestyle decisions. Hypertension is more likely if you are overweight or obese.
Secondary hypertension
Secondary hypertension develops more quickly than primary hypertension and might be more severe. Secondary hypertension can be caused by a number of factors, including:
What are the symptoms of hypertension?
Hypertension is usually a quiet illness. Many people will not show any signs or symptoms. It may take years, if not decades, for the illness to progress to the point where symptoms are visible. Even yet, these symptoms might be due to anything else.
Severe hypertension can cause the following symptoms:
These symptoms require immediate medical attention. They don’t occur in everyone with hypertension, but waiting for a symptom of this condition to appear could be fatal.
High blood pressure Home treatments:-
Changes in your lifestyle that are good for your health can help you control the elements that cause hypertension. Some of the most prevalent home treatments are listed here.
Creating a nutritious diet
A heart-healthy diet is essential for lowering blood pressure. It’s also crucial for treating well-controlled hypertension and lowering the risk of complications. Heart disease, stroke, and heart attack are examples of these problems.
A heart-healthy diet emphasises the following foods:
fruits,
veggies,
whole grains,
seafood are all good sources of lean protein.
- Physical exercise should be increased.
Physical activity should be a part of achieving a healthy weight. Exercise can help you lose weight while also reducing stress, automatically lowering blood pressure, and strengthening your cardiovascular system.
Each week, aim for 150 minutes of moderate physical activity. This works out to roughly 30 minutes five times a week.
- Getting to a good weight
Losing weight with a heart-healthy diet and increased physical exercise can help decrease blood pressure if you are overweight or obese.
- Stress management
Exercise is an excellent stress reliever. Other activities might be beneficial as well. These are some of them:
- meditation
muscular relaxation with deep breathing massage - Yoga