What Causes High Blood Pressure?

High blood pressure, also called hypertension, becomes more common as people age. There are two types of high blood pressure. They are primary hypertension and secondary hypertension. In primary hypertension, the cause is often unknown, while there’s a direct relationship to a condition in secondary hypertension. Approximately 45% of the population have or will develop high blood pressure. If you don’t handle it, it can lead to coronary issues, a stroke, or kidney damage.

It’s called the silent killer because it usually doesn’t show symptoms.

When blood pressure is extremely high, there may be signs like headaches, nose bleeds, or shortness of breath, but only a few people have them. High blood pressure is measured by the force it exerts on the vessel walls. The higher the pressure, the harder the heart has to work. The top number is the systolic blood pressure. That’s the force of the blood in your arteries when your heart beats. The bottom number is the diastolic pressure or the force of the blood on the artery walls between pumps. The interior wall tissue of arteries is delicate and prone to damage over time. Tiny tears are repaired by LDL cholesterol, creating plaque that sticks to the interior walls and narrows arteries further, creating even more work for the heart.

Lifestyle changes can control some cases, while others require medication.

Dietary changes can help some cases of hypertension. Curbing sugar can help by reducing weight gain and preventing obesity. Sugar also blocks the creation of nitric oxide. Nitric oxide relaxes blood vessels and makes them wider. The wider they are, the lower the blood pressure. Cutting back on salt also helps. The sodium in salt pulls fluid from the surrounding cells and increases blood volume. Cutting out processed foods high in salt and sugar and eating more whole foods lowers blood pressure.

A sedentary lifestyle, smoking, and drinking can add to high blood pressure.

While the exact cause is still unknown, healthcare professionals know that when you exercise more, you increase the nitric oxide your body makes to lower blood pressure. Staying more active keeps blood vessels more flexible and less sensitive to hormonal changes. It also helps eliminate plaque, just as certain foods like those in DASH, Mediterranean, or vegetarian diets do. Smoking makes blood vessels constrict, so quitting smoking can also help.

• Secondary causes of high blood pressure include obstructive sleep apnea, thyroid problems, illegal drug use, cold and cough medicine, and congenital heart defects present at birth. Treating the original condition helps lower blood pressure.
• Elevated blood pressure is when the systolic or top number is higher than 130, and the diastolic or bottom is higher than 80 or 130/80. If the systolic number is higher than 180 or the diastolic is higher than 120, it’s a hypertension crisis.
• Stress can cause high blood pressure. Learning to deal with stress helps your health in many ways. Breathing exercises or visualization can help you with stress and lower blood pressure.
• Some people are genetically more prone to high blood pressure but can delay any potential problem or avert it by taking early steps to change their lifestyle and control hypertension.

For more information, contact us today at Prime Fitness Studio