Hypertension

High blood pressure, also called hypertension; its blood pressure is higher than normal. Your blood pressure changes throughout the day based on the activities you perform. Having consistent high blood pressure, that is above the normal level, may result in the diagnosis of hypertension. 

Blood Pressure is the measurement of the pressure or force of blood inside your arteries. Each time your heart beats, it pumps blood into arteries that carry blood throughout your body. This happens 60 to 100 times a minute, 24 hours a day to circulate blood through 60 miles of blood vessels. Arteries also transport and deliver oxygen and nutrients to your entire body through blood.  

Different aspects of Systolic and Diastolic Blood Pressure: 

If your systolic blood pressure is higher than 130 but your diastolic blood pressure is under 40. It’s called isolated systolic hypertension. It’s the most common kind of high blood pressure in older people. 

High diastolic blood pressure levels that occur when systolic blood pressure levels are normal can indicate a condition called isolated diastolic hypertension (IDH). It is comparatively less common than combined systolic-diastolic hypertension and is more commonly seen in young middle-aged adults.  

The normal range of diastolic pressure should be 60 to 80 mmHg in adults. Anything above this is considered abnormal. Systolic should remain under 120 mmHg. 

Symptoms: 

• Nose Bleeding  
• Blurred Vision or Vision Changes 
• Blood in Urine  
• Fatigue and Shortness of Breath 
• Tinnitus 
• Severe Headaches  
• Chest Pain  
• Nausea and Vomiting  
• Dizziness, Confusion or Anxiety 
• Localized Weakness 

Known Causes of Hypertension: 

• Being Overweight  
• Junk Foods 
• Eating too much salt and not enough fruits and vegetables 
• Not enough exercise  
• Having excessive alcohol or coffee or other caffeine-based drinks 
• Smoking or excessive stress 
• Aged over 65 
• Having a family history of high blood pressure 

The different health conditions that can affect or cause high blood pressure include kidney disease, diabetes, long term kidney infections, sleep apnea, underactive thyroid or overactive thyroid, lupus and scleroderma.  

There are certain medicines that can also increase your blood pressure, they include contraceptive pills, steroids, anti- inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen or aspirin, sough and cold remedies and medicines containing liquorice or recreational drugs like cocaine. 

 Although managing Hypertension can be challenging it isn’t impossible: 

• Lose extra pounds and watch your waistline. Blood pressure often increases as weight increases. 
• Practice deep breathing and deep breathing exercises. 
• Exercise regularly.  
• Maintain a healthy diet full of leafy vegetables and fiber rich fruits and foods. 
• Reduce salt (sodium) in your diet. 
• Avoid alcohol and caffeine. 
• Quit smoking if you do. 
• Get a good night’s sleep. 
• Have a minimum of 8 glasses of water per day. 
• Use benefits of the Sun 
• Try to build coping mechanisms and lastly have faith! 

DASH DIET: 

A Dash diet is low in salt and rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, low-fat dairy, and lean protein. DASH stands for dietary approaches to stop hypertension. The diet was first created to help lower high blood pressure. A dash diet is low in saturated fats, cholesterol, total fat, red meat, sweets and sugary beverages. It is also rich in important nutrients like potassium, magnesium, calcium, protein and fiber. We should include potassium rich foods if patients don’t have kidney disease. Coconut water in the morning is a good source.