Things to Know About High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure is a silent disease that can strike anyone without warning signs. Today, younger people are experiencing high blood pressure, because of bad eating habits, weight gain and use of drugs or alcohol. Lack of exercise can also lead to high blood pressure, so it's important to keep a healthy lifestyle for peak health. High blood pressure can lead to other conditions that are not treatable, so prevention is a key to living a healthy life.

High blood pressure or hypertension means that high pressure, or tension, is present in the arteries that carry oxygenated blood from the heart to every cell in your body and then transports that deoxygenated blood back to the lungs for more. High blood pressure can be caused by stress, so it's wise to try to 'de-stress' on a daily basis if possible, especially in today's hectic, always-on-the-go society. High blood pressure can lead to heart and kidney disease, as well as causing hardening of the arteries. This condition gradually blocks artery walls until only a fraction of blood volume can get through to where it's needed. Vision problems and even stroke can also be direct results of high blood pressure.

Organ Damage

Such conditions are sometimes called 'end organ damage' because the damage that occurs to some organs is directly due to the effects of high blood pressure and not because there was something wrong with them in the first place. It's important to recognize the signs of high blood pressure and then do something about them instead of waiting, to prevent such collateral damage from occurring. Studies have shown that high blood pressure, or hypertension, affects one out of four individuals in the United States alone. Those over fifty years old experience the greatest risks. Regular exercise and a proper, well-balanced diet are two of the best preventive measures that a person can take to avoid high blood pressure.

Every person can experience varying levels of blood pressure throughout the day, so it's important to take a blood pressure reading at several different times if you suspect that you may have high blood pressure. Remember also that chemical balances within the body and any other medical conditions or diseases may affect a blood pressure reading. If you are suffering from high blood pressure, you should avoid products containing caffeine altogether. You should also avoid smoking.

Treatment

Many treatments and medications are available to treat high blood pressure, the most common of them being beta-blockers and ACE inhibitors. A beta-blocker can reduce the risk of having a heart attack and serves to protect the cardiac muscle in people who suffer from cardiac disease. An ACE inhibitor also serves the same purpose and both medications are relatively inexpensive. However, there are many different kinds and causes of high blood pressure and each is and can be treated with a different class of medication. Prevention is the key. Keeping good eating habits, getting plenty of exercises and staying away from smoking and alcohol are the best things that anyone can do to avoid high blood pressure.

Written by Aryan Khalili