What
is Blood Pressure?
As blood flows through your body, it applies pressure to
your artery walls. When the pressure is too
high, the heart
has to work harder and your arteries can become damaged. This condition usually becomes more common as you age.
Symptoms
Many people don’t even know they have high blood pressure
because there are no outward symptoms. If untreated, this condition can quietly damage the heart, lungs, blood vessels, brain, and
kidneys, earning the condition the name “silent killer”. When you have high
blood pressure, the risk for heart disease,
kidney disease, and stroke increase.
How
to tell if you have high blood pressure
The best way to know if you are at risk is by having your
blood pressure read. The normal rate is 120/80. The top rate is called the systolic
pressure and measures the pressure when your
heart beats. The lower number is called the diastolic
pressure, and this measures the pressure
between heartbeats when your heart refills with blood.
Hypertension has no known
cause. People with hypertension have a reading
that averages 140/90 or higher. If your reading is between 120-139 and 80-89, for systolic
and diastolic pressure respectively, you might have a condition called pre-hypertension. This range
increases your risk of developing heart disease. To lower your reading doctors
will recommend lifestyle changes.
People with a reading of
180/110 or higher may have hypertensive crisis and might
experience anxiety, nosebleeds, shortness of
breath and a severe headache. This condition
can lead to a stroke, heart attack, kidney damage, or loss of consciousness.
Seek medical attention.
Hypertension affects more men and women equally as they age.
Men are more likely to develop hypertension before the age of 45, and more
women will develop hypertension by the time they are 65. Your risk for
hypertension is higher if you have a family member who has high blood pressure,
or if you have diabetes.
Risk
Factors
Sodium: Found in salt, sodium causes the body to retain fluid, and can put a
strain on the heart, leading to increased blood pressure. Processed foods such as
canned soups and cold cuts contain a lot of sodium. The American Heart
Association advises eating less than 1,500 milligrams of sodium per day.
Stress: While stress can make your blood pressure go up, there’s
no evidence that it relates to blood pressure as a chronic condition. Stress,
however, may indirectly cause hypertension because it increases the risk for
heart disease. Stress is also likely to lead to other unhealthy habits like
poor diet, smoking, or drinking alcohol.
Weight: When you are overweight or carry a few extra pounds, you
strain your heart more and this increases your risk for hypertension.
Customized diets for lowering blood pressure often involve limiting calorie intake, reducing fatty foods and added sugars, while increasing lean
protein, fiber, fruits, and vegetables.
Alcohol: Drinking alcoholic beverages can also increase blood
pressure. The American Heart Association recommends that men limit their drinks
to 2 drinks* per day, while women reduce it to one.
*definition of a drink: a 12 oz. beer (355 ml), a 4 oz.
glass of wine (118ml), a 1.5 oz. of 80-proof spirits (44ml of 40% alcohol), and
1 oz. of 100-proof spirits (30ml of 50% alcohol).
Caffeine: This has a temporary effect on blood pressure and studies
have not found a link between hypertension and caffeine. Regardless, the
America Heart Association recommends only one or two cups a day.
Medications: Several medications can cause blood pressure to rise, such
as decongestants, steroids, birth control, NSAID pain killers, and certain
anti-depressants.
Treatments
Diet: There are several ways to lower blood pressure. A change
in diet is one such way. The Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension or DASH
diet was designed to do so. It focuses on increasing fruits, vegetables,
whole-grain foods, low-fat dairy, fish, poultry, and nuts consumed and avoiding
red meats, saturated fats, and sugars.
Exercise: Another way to combat high blood pressure is through
exercise. Doctors advise at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity exercise
per week and at least two muscle strengthening activities per week. Activities
such as brisk walking, gardening, cycling and aerobic classes are recommended.
Diuretics: An alternative way to lower blood pressure is through
diuretics, also called water pills. These help the body get rid of excess water
and sodium. The side effect of these is that you will be urinating more than
usual.
Beta-blockers: A way to help slow down your heart beat, beta-blockers can
help with hypertension by easing your heart’s heavy workload. This is often a
treatment for arrhythmia, which is an abnormal heart rate. This treatment for
hypertension is often prescribed along with other medications.
Side effects of
Beta-blockers: insomnia, dizziness,
fatigue, cold hands and feet, and erectile dysfunction.
ACE Inhibitors and
Angiotension Receptor Blockers: Taking ACE
inhibitors (angiotensin - converting - enzyme) can give your heart an easier
time because they reduce the body’s supply of angiotensin II. This is a
chemical that causes your blood vessels to contract and narrow. With less
angiotensin II, you will have more relaxed and open arteries, thus reducing
your blood pressure rate. Similarly, you can take pills to block the receptors
for angiotensin II. These pills can take several weeks to be effective.
Side effects of
ACE inhibitors: dry cough, skin rash, or
dizziness, and high levels of potassium.
Side effects of
Angiotensin II block receptors: dizziness,
muscle cramps, insomnia, and high levels of potassium.
Calcium Channel
Blockers: Another part of the body, you
could block to fight hypertension is your calcium channel. Calcium causes your
heart to contract strongly. Blockers slow the movement of calcium in your blood
vessels and heart cells, resulting in your heart being contracted more gently
and more relaxed blood. These pills need to be taken with milk or food, and you
should avoid alcohol and grapefruit juice because they have possible
interactions.
Calcium channel
blockers side effects: dizziness, heart
palpitations, swelling of the ankles, and constipation.
Medications and
Complementary Therapies: Your doctor might
suggest other blood pressure medications such as vasodilators, alpha blockers,
and central agonists. Along with lifestyle changes, doctors also might
recommend complementary therapies such as meditation, yoga, tai chi and deep
breathing. These relaxation techniques can allow your body to enter a state of
deep rest, and lower blood pressure.
Herbal therapies are not recommended because they often interfere with
blood pressure medication.
(Courtesy of Dilip
Somaiya vide amdavadis4ever)