High Blood Pressure Is A Very Dangerous Problem For Which There Is Normally A Quite Simple Solution

In the last few years changes in diet and lifestyle in most western countries have caused a growth in the number of individuals suffering from high blood pressure.

High blood pressure (otherwise referred to as hypertension, or more properly arterial hypertension) is a serious condition which seldom has any symptoms and which, if left undetected and untreated, can cause stroke, heart attack, heart failure, arterial aneurysm or renal failure - any one of which represents a serious life-threatening condition.

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

The arteries within the body are constantly filled with blood which provides a normal 'background' pressure against the walls of the arteries. When the heart pumps newly oxygenated blood around your body it forces this blood into the arteries which momentarily raises the pressure on the artery walls with each beat of the heart. These two pressures are referred to as the systolic pressure (the higher pressure as the heart pumps) and the diastolic pressure (the reduced 'background' pressure).

Normal blood pressure differs from person to person but, usually, systolic pressure should be in the region of 120 mm Hg and diastolic pressure ought to be in the region of 80 mm Hg. This is normally expressed as a pressure of 120/80.

If your blood pressure starts to rise and then remains at a level above 120/80 then you are said to be 'prehypertensive' and, while this is not serious in itself, it is an indication that you might be at risk of developing hypertension and all of the problems linked with it. Once your blood pressure reaches, and remains at, a level of 140/90 or above then you are suffering from hypertension and steps need to be taken to lower your blood pressure.

So just what causes your blood pressure to rise and than remain elevated?

Well, there are numerous factors at play here and to start there is a group over which you have little, if any, control. This group includes a low birth weight, several genetic factors, some forms of diabetes (especially type 2 diabetes) and your age (as we grow older our arteries tend to become fibrous and lose their elasticity, creating a reduced cross-sectional area through which the blood can flow).

The second group of factors is far more within your control and includes a sedentary lifestyle, large levels of salt and saturated fats in your diet, excess weight, smoking, alcohol abuse, stress and employment in certain occupations like flying or motorway maintenance.

Most of these factors are treatable and, in a lot of cases, a quite simple change in your diet and the addition of a little exercise into your daily routine is all that is necessary to resolve the problem. The difficulty however is that, without any real symptoms, most individuals do not know that they are suffering from high blood pressure in the first place.

So how do you solve the problem?

Well, fortunately, the answer to this particular question is quite simple. All you have to do is to pop into your doctor's office on a regular basis (about twice a year should do the trick) and ask him/her to check your blood pressure for you. The procedure is pain free, simple and quick and will provide you with peace of mind and might save your doctor a lot of work, time and expense later on when you are forced to drop by his office once hypertension has set in.

If you are not too keen on calling in to see your doctor then a very good alternative now is to simply check your own blood pressure at home. A large selection of simple to operate and quite inexpensive blood pressure monitors are available today, allowing you to check your health, as well as that of your complete family, in the privacy and comfort of your own home.

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High Blood Pressure Is A Very Dangerous Problem For Which There Is Normally A Quite Simple Solution