High Blood Pressure Can Be A Very Dangerous Problem For Which There Is Frequently Simple Solution

In recent years alterations to the diet and lifestyle in many western societies have led to a rise in the number of individuals suffering from high blood pressure.

High blood pressure (otherwise called hypertension, or more properly arterial hypertension) is a dangerous condition that rarely carries any symptoms and that, if left undetected and untreated, can lead to stroke, heart attack, heart failure, arterial aneurysm or renal failure - any one of which represents a life-threatening condition.

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

The arteries within your body are constantly filled with blood which provides a normal 'background' pressure against the walls of the arteries. As your heart pumps newly oxygenated blood around your body it forces this blood into the arteries which momentarily raises the pressure exerted on the walls of the arteries during every 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 lesser normal or 'background' pressure).

Normal blood pressure differs from one person to the next but, in general, systolic pressure ought to be approximately 120 mm Hg and diastolic pressure should be around 80 mm Hg. This is ordinarily expressed as a blood pressure of 120/80.

Whenever your blood pressure begins to rise and stays above 120/80 then you are said to be 'prehypertensive' and, despite the fact that this is not serious in itself, it is an indication that you might be at risk of developing hypertension and the problems which are linked with it. Once your blood pressure rises to, and remains at, a level of 140/90 or higher then you are suffering from hypertension and steps should be taken to reduce your blood pressure.

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

Well, there are several factors at play 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, various genetic factors, certain forms of diabetes (in particular type 2 diabetes) and your age (as we grow older the arteries tend to become fibrous and lose their elasticity, creating a reduced cross-sectional area through which the blood can flow).

The next group of factors is far more within your control and includes a sedentary lifestyle, large levels of salt and saturated fats in your diet, being overweight, smoking tobacco, excessive alcohol consumption, stress and working in certain occupations like flying or motorway maintenance.

The majority of these factors are of course treatable and, in most cases, a simple adjustment to your diet and the addition of a little exercise into your daily plan is all that is needed to cure the problem. The difficulty however is that, with few, if any, symptoms, most individuals are not aware that they have hypertension in the first place.

So how do you solve the problem?

Fortunately the answer to this question is quite simple. All you need to do is to pop into your doctor's office on a regular basis (a couple of times a year will be sufficient) 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 down the road when you are forced to call in at his office once high blood pressure rears its ugly head.

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