The danger of high blood pressure

High blood pressure or Hypertension is very common, many people today have it. Not only is it common, but it is also a long term medical condition.  After you are diagnosed it will not disappear after a short dose of medication, you will be monitoring your blood pressure every day in order to keep track of it as part of a healthy lifestyle.  You may be asking okay what is high blood pressure? It is the pressure that occurs when your blood moves through your veins. By measuring your blood pressure we are able to understand how your heart is pumping.

Many people may not even realize that they have high blood pressure. Therefore how can we recognize the symptoms and even treat it when we don’t even realize that we have it.  Hypertension usually does not have any symptoms and when someone does have symptoms, they are very common. These symptoms including headaches, difficulty breathing and nosebleeds can be written off. With or without these symptoms there is still damage being done to your body. Your organs are being placed under an enormous amount of stress & pressure which they were not built to handle.

So how can you know if you suffer from hypertension? The only way to truly know is to have your blood pressure checked. The best way is to be vigilant. Make sure that you have your blood pressure checked every two years after you reach the age of 18. But if you are over 40 years old or have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, please have your pressure checked every year. [1]

Some peoplemay think that high blood pressure is not a big deal, but in fact,  if not treated or under control it can kill you.  It can lead to many health problems. High blood pressure causes your arteries to become less flexible which can lead to damage in your heart and other organs.  It may even lead to blood clots and strokes.

Now that we know about the dangers of high blood pressure what can you do to help lower your blood pressure?  How can you manage hypertension? There are actually a number of things that you can do.  There are many medications out there that are made to help. Another way is to change your lifestyle, get active. If you are over weight or just not very physically active, you will have a higher chance of having high blood pressure.  If you try and walk even 30 minutes a day, it will help to lower your pressure.[2] Another item that comes highly recommended is to reduce your salt intake.  Try and eat lower processed food, and add less or no salt, while reducing the trans fat that you are ingesting.  Stay away from deli meat and many canned soups. Many of these contain high amounts of sodium. If you are one of the few people who smoke, you should seriously consider quitting. As each cigarette that you have increases your blood pressure. [3] Even some medication, over the counter and prescription that you take, can increase your chance of having high blood pressure.

Overall if you are worried about developing high blood pressure or hypertension than leading a healthy life as well as managing a few other factors will help to prevent you from developing hypertension. The first thing is to stay active and eating healthy. Try and limit your salt and alcohol intake. Finally, if you smoke, Stop now. Just overall try and live a healthy lifestyle with a healthy diet and food. [4]

Get your blood pressure checked today at Care& Family Health's free walk-in clinic. We can answer all the questions you may have. Just download our free app Care& Family Health to see the average wait time that you can expect.  Never wait for hours to see a healthcare practitioner again.  Open Monday to Friday from 9:00 AM to 4:00 pm. Get the help you need when you need it.

Reference

[1] High blood pressure (hypertension).(2018, May 12). Retrieved from https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/symptoms-causes/syc-20373410

[2] RD, K. J. (2017, July 31). 15 naturalways to lower your blood pressure. Retrieved fromhttps://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/318716.php

[3] 10 drug-free ways to control high bloodpressure. (2019, January 09). Retrieved fromhttps://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/in-depth/high-blood-pressure/art-20046974

[4] 10 drug-free ways to control high bloodpressure. (2019, January 09). Retrieved fromhttps://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/in-depth/high-blood-pressure/art-20046974

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