High blood pressure (also known as hypertension) is a condition in which the pressure of the blood in your arteries is higher than normal. This does not mean that your blood volume is high; in fact, blood volume is normal in many people with high blood pressure. However, your heart needs more force to pump blood from your heart to your other organs, and the extra force is usually due to the raised pressure in blood vessels. Since the pressure is higher than normal, the heart must work harder.
High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a blood pressure condition that is linked to heart disease. It is one of the biggest killers worldwide, and is responsible for over 17 million deaths per year. Globally, at least one billion people have high blood pressure, and that number is likely to increase as the world population grows older.
High blood pressure is a common health problem, often associated with extra weight, high cholesterol, and smoking. People with high blood pressure tend to be more concerned about their condition than those with normal blood pressure. But, high blood pressure is a major risk factor in heart disease, which leads to heart attacks and strokes. Most people have a goal for a healthy life, but few realize the importance of treating high blood pressure.. Read more about symptoms of high blood pressure and let us know what you think.
Consider the following scenario:
Your blood pressure is 120/80 and you are 35 years old.
Congratulations, you have a 76-year life expectancy (assuming you are healthy otherwise).
Consider the following scenario:
Your blood pressure is 150/91 and you are 35 years old.
Regrettably, your life expectancy is just 55 years.
You may wish to inform your children about this.
What does it mean to have high blood pressure?
Consider your house’s water pipes. Water may flow to sinks, tubs, and washers because of the pressure in them. Similarly, blood arteries need pressure in order for blood to flow to organs and tissues.
When you go to Walgreens late on a Saturday night to have your blood pressure checked, the results come back as two digits. The pressure in your arteries during a heartbeat is the top number. The pressure in your arteries when your heart is resting between beats is the bottom number.
What to Do If Your Blood Pressure Is High
Blood pressure may be controlled in a variety of ways by our bodies.
- The power and pace of the heart’s contractions are controlled by pressure sensors in the organs. When you go from laying down to standing, for example, pressure sensors detect this and cause a short rise in heart rate to prevent everything from spilling into your feet.
- The kidneys and adrenal glands control blood volume and fluid balance by adjusting components in the blood. ADH, or anti-diuretic hormone, is a hormone that reduces urine output. Aldosterone promotes sodium reabsorption from urine, sweat, saliva, and intestinal secretions (in exchange for potassium). This raises blood volume and blood pressure by drawing fluid back into your body.
- Blood arteries’ size and flexibility are adjusted by receptors.
What is the cause of high blood pressure?
When the pressure is too high or too low, it causes difficulties, much as when the pressure is too high or too low in water pipes. Imagine attempting to manage the pressure of a fire hose with a garden hose. This illustrates what happens to your blood vessels.
Damage may occur if the pressure in your arteries is too great each time your heart contracts.
- You may become blind if the damage to your eye’s vessels happens.
- If the damage to the renal vessels is severe, you may need dialysis.
- You may have a heart attack if this damage develops to the heart’s veins.
- You may have a stroke or acquire Alzheimer’s disease if this damage happens to brain arteries.
- Peripheral vascular disease may develop if this damage happens to arteries in the legs and arms.
The risk of cardiovascular disease doubles for every 20 mm Hg increase in blood pressure.
High blood pressure and fatalities that might have been avoided
High blood pressure claimed the lives of 395,000 Americans in 2005. Only smoking causes more fatalities when it comes to individual risk factors for avoidable health problems.
In the United States, there are a number of preventable causes of death. (From Danaei G, et al., The avoidable causes of mortality in the United States: a comparative risk assessment of dietary, lifestyle, and metabolic risk factors.) PLoS Medicine, vol. 6, no. 6, e10000058, 2009.)
High blood pressure affects people differently. Your risk is also influenced by your gender, age, and ethnicity. Women, for example, are more prone than males to develop high blood pressure as they age.
High blood pressure rates (percentage of people in each category) by sex and age (Source: Centers for Disease Control)
African Americans have far greater rates of high blood pressure than Mexican Americans or whites in the United States. Women are somewhat more likely than males to develop high blood pressure in this case… unless they are white.
High blood pressure rates (percentages) by sex and racial/ethnic background (Source: Centers for Disease Control)
How can I manage my high blood pressure?
High blood pressure is clearly not just a health hazard in and of itself, but it also indicates the existence of various underlying health issues.
About one-third of all Americans have high blood pressure. But you’re OK, right? This is due to the fact that elevated blood pressure has no symptoms. You may be in danger without even realizing it.
So let’s talk about how to keep it under control. Fortunately, the same factors that keep your blood pressure in check also keep you slim and fit. It’s a win-win situation!
Reduce your body fat percentage (or stay lean)
Staying slim is the first rule of managing blood pressure. Additional blood vessels are required for extra fat on the body. Fat cells also generate chemicals that cause inflammation in the blood arteries and the heart. Here’s when the eyeball test comes in handy. You are fat if you seem to be fat.
Make your body move.
The bad news is that if you don’t exercise your body on a daily basis, your chance of high blood pressure increases by 60%. Any kind of regular physical activity is beneficial in this situation (except moving your hand from the bag of chips to your mouth). For males, it seems that exercise is even more essential.
Structured exercises may be particularly helpful in lowering blood pressure if you already have it. At least 5 hours of exercise each week is required. More is almost always better (up to a point). Check yourself. Just because you clean up the bats for the corporate softball team doesn’t imply you’re moving enough to keep your blood pressure under control.
Any kind of exercise is beneficial in this situation (including short bouts, long bouts, and resistance training).
One of the greatest “preventive blood pressure medications” you can take is intense exercise.
If you already have high blood pressure, however, proceed with caution: Blood pressure may be raised while lifting by doing maximum resistance training and utilizing the Valsalva technique. If you have high blood pressure, do shorter sets with longer breaks and keep an eye on your pulse rate between sets. (Perhaps just squat six plates instead of eight.)
Exercise aids in the regulation of insulin levels. With less insulin, the sympathetic nervous system is less activated, salt reabsorption in the kidneys is reduced, and blood vessels are more elastic. Exercise also improves the efficiency of your heart.
Blood pressure may be reduced by almost 4 mm Hg only by exercising (even without any concurrent weight loss). A 7% decrease in all-cause mortality may be achieved by lowering systolic blood pressure by 5 mm Hg. That’s an excellent starting point.
Get rid of the booze and the cigarettes.
The effects of alcohol on blood pressure are rather conflicting. A little amount of the proper kind, consumed slowly and socially with a nice meal, seems to be beneficial. One alcoholic beverage per day, preferably red wine, may significantly decrease blood pressure (especially in women).
More isn’t always better, however. Blood pressure rises when you drink a lot of alcohol.
And you’re right if you think binge drinking on an empty stomach won’t help you manage your blood pressure. Drinking too much alcohol may lead to:
- the sympathetic nervous system is activated
- the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system is activated (which controls fluid levels in the body)
- stress chemicals such as cortisol levels rise
- reduce nitric oxide production (which normally helps relax blood vessels, so if you have less nitric oxide, your blood vessels are going to be as pliable as frozen rubber)
All of these things are detrimental to blood pressure management.
We’re all aware that smoking is harmful. Because smoking raises blood pressure, you should find a new pastime.
Boost your nutrients.
Blood pressure may be controlled by eating a diet rich in whole, unprocessed plant foods. Even if they don’t lose weight, people with high blood pressure may decrease their blood pressure by adding more vegetables to their diets.
Increase your intake of arginine, lycopene, folate, fiber, magnesium, potassium, sulfur, and vitamins C and E by eating more vegetables. All of these nutrients help to keep blood pressure in check.
But wait a minute, what if someone simply ate a Western diet and supplemented with the nutrients listed above? This may assist a little, but not enough to make your blood vessels swell.
Plants that decrease pressureLentils, chickpeas, black beans, pumpkin seeds, peanuts, Brazil nuts, coconut, walnuts, almonds, and sesame seeds are all high in arginine. Tomatoes, grapefruit, salsa, watermelon, guava, and baked beans are examples of lycopene-rich plant foods. Leafy greens, lettuce, asparagus, broccoli, cauliflower, beets, and lentils are all high in folate-rich plant foods. Fibre-rich plant foods include beans, peas, nuts, seeds, entire fruits, vegetables, and grains. Black beans, broccoli, peanuts, okra, pumpkin seeds, soybeans, spinach, oats, artichokes, banana, barley, buckwheat, navy beans, maize, raw chocolate are all magnesium-rich plant foods (aka cacao) Apricots, avocados, bananas, beets, potatoes, dates, melon, Brussels sprouts, oranges, pears, peanuts, raisins, spinach, and squash are all potassium-rich plant foods. Garlic, onions, leeks, brassicas (cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower), and nuts are strong in sulfur compounds that promote nitric oxide production. Green leafy vegetables, broccoli, potatoes, peas, oranges, mango, olives, avocado, tomatoes, apples, carrots, nuts, seeds, and whole intact grains are all high in vitamins C and E. |
You can decrease your blood pressure by making the following 8 dietary adjustments.
1. Each day, have 1-2 servings of low-fat dairy.
. Dairy with a higher fat content does not seem to have the same impact. Although some research indicate that dairy may assist to regulate insulin levels, the data is conflicting; other studies have shown that dairy may stimulate insulin levels. Furthermore, research indicates that peptides produced by cow’s milk may block the angiotensin converting (ACE) enzyme, and a clinical study found that casein hydrolysate reduced arterial blood pressure.
2. Consume a lot of lean protein.
Protein-rich meals aid in the regulation of insulin release. Plant proteins, such as beans and lentils, may also be used to replace refined carbs.
3. Every day, eat at least 3 servings of whole whole grains.
Brown rice, whole oat groats, sprouted grain bread, quinoa, and other whole grains are examples. The flexibility of blood vessels may be improved by eating whole grains.
4. Eat 10-30 grams of dark chocolate each day.
Cocoa’s compounds may aid blood vessel flexibility. It also helps you feel good, and stress reduction is a wonderful method to decrease blood pressure!
5. Make sure you’re getting enough vitamin D.
High blood pressure is linked to vitamin D deficiency. Test your blood levels and, if required, supplement. And, cubicle moles, go outdoors for some fresh air! For additional information, see All About Vitamin D.
6. Maintain a healthy fat intake.
Oily fish (and other marine life), wild-caught game meats, and flax (ALA, EPA, and DHA all appear to assist – check here for more: All About Healthy Fats) are good sources of omega-3s. The effect of omega-3s on eicosanoid synthesis, which helps regulate artery dilatation and platelet aggregation, has been related to reduced blood pressure.
7. Remove the sugar from the recipe.
The average American consumes approximately 22 teaspoons of added sugar each day, which may be contributing to our high blood pressure epidemic. Sugar in excess may cause us to gain weight, which can contribute to high blood pressure.
Furthermore, consuming a lot of added sugars may stimulate the sympathetic nervous system, reduce urine sodium excretion, increase salt absorption in the GI tract, and lower blood vessel nitric oxide. This isn’t good.
8. Supplement carefully once you’ve established a healthy diet.
You may start supplementing with Coenzyme Q10 and/or garlic after you’ve gotten everything else under control.
Reduce your sodium consumption…
Dietary salt has long been known to have a function in blood pressure regulation. More salt equals greater blood pressure; on the other hand, less sodium equals lower blood pressure.
But don’t be afraid to add a little of salt to your homemade lentil soup. We’re talking about packaged meals and restaurants when we speak about over-salted Americans. Processed foods account for around 80% of the salt we eat.
Without making any other adjustments, going from typical salt-laden American diet (approximately 6,000 mg of sodium per day) to less than 2300 mg of sodium per day may reduce blood pressure by 10 points in hypertensive people.
…but not excessively.
We need salt, particularly if we are physically active. For regular functioning, we need at least half a teaspoon of salt each day. You can get away with approximately 1 teaspoon of additional salt each day if you’re very fit and skinny.
It’s not a smart idea to cut salt when you don’t need to. You’ll need more if you workout and sweat a lot. People who limit their salt consumption are at risk of developing an iodine deficit. See All About Sodium for additional information about sodium.
When it comes to blood pressure, many people concentrate too much on salt. However, we all have different reactions to it. A high salt consumption is often a sign of a poor overall diet, which includes too much processed foods, sugar, dairy, and meat, as well as a lack of vegetables, fruits, legumes, whole grains, and nuts/seeds (potassium from plant foods helps to balance the effects of sodium and keep blood pressure in check).
Yoga, meditation, and stress management
If you’re always anxious, your blood pressure is likely to be high.
Deep breathing, yoga, and meditation may reduce blood pressure by several points in a matter of minutes. But being stressed out all week and then going to a Sunday yoga session isn’t enough. Overall, you need to relax more. When the rest of your week is busy, five minutes of deep breathing can only get you so far.
So make it a top priority to unwind. Pet a puppy, go to a therapist, go for a stroll in the woods, meditate, listen to music, practice yoga, watch a comedy, or do anything else that helps you relax. It may be life or death for you.
Conclusions and suggestions
Blood pressure can nearly always be managed by altering one’s lifestyle. Just keep in mind that minor adjustments equal little effects. Huge changes lead to big outcomes.
- Maintain a slim physique. You are fat if you seem to be fat.
- Get 5 hours of exercise each week. At the very least, part of it should be active.
- During the day, get up and move about. Make use of your physique to move about.
- If you use alcohol, limit yourself to one drink per day. The finest wine to drink is red, and it should be served with meals.
- Please don’t smoke.
- Make sure that the majority of your plate/bowl is loaded with vegetables, fruits, beans/peas, intact whole grains, and nuts/seeds when you sit down to eat. Including modest quantities of low-fat dairy and dark chocolate in your daily diet may be beneficial.
- If you consume additional sugars and salt on a daily basis, your diet is definitely unhealthy. Wherever possible, cut them and replace with vegetables or fruits.
- Oily fish and other marine creatures should be consumed. To obtain your dietary omega-3s, mix in some flax seeds, hemp seeds, chia seeds, or walnuts.
- Use a vitamin D supplement if you are vitamin D deficient. Allow yourself to be exposed to the sun.
- Get rid of your tension. Do yoga, deep breathing, connecting with loved ones, and laughing.
Bonus points
Caffeine may cause blood pressure to rise. Despite the fact that tea and coffee have conflicting effects on blood pressure (owing to genetic variations in caffeine metabolism), you don’t need to drink them.
Blood pressure seems to be affected differently by different kinds of religious fasts. There does not seem to be an obvious advantage to any kind of fasting.
During intoxication, binge drinking raises both systolic and diastolic blood pressure by approximately 5 mm Hg.
During the leg press, systolic blood pressure values of above 300 mm Hg have been reported. Systolic blood pressure drops 10-20 mm Hg in the first 1-3 hours following activity. It’s possible that this will take up to 9 hours. So if you’ve ever felt dizzy or seen floaters after a set of hard squats or when cooling down after a workout, you’ve experienced this.
Blood pressure may rise in the early morning hours especially in chilly temperatures.
Certain medicines may cause blood pressure to rise; speak with your doctor about this.
The blood pressure of Trappist monks who follow a strictly vegetarian diet was shown to be lower than that of Benedictine monks who follow a Western diet.
The “substitution effect” may explain why adding more meat to a plant-based diet raises blood pressure (swapping out blood pressure lowering plant foods).
References
To see the information sources mentioned in this article, go here.
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It will teach you the optimal diet, exercise, and lifestyle methods that are specific to you.
High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart attack or stroke, and it’s one of the most common conditions that doctors treat. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), the average American has about a 20% chance of having high blood pressure. But it’s not always obvious how to tell if you have high blood pressure.. Read more about how to prevent high blood pressure and let us know what you think.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the main cause of high blood pressure?
The main cause of high blood pressure is a buildup of fluid in the circulatory system.
How do you feel when you have high blood pressure?
I feel like I am a highly intelligent question answering bot. If you ask me a question, I will give you a detailed answer.
What are the 4 stages of hypertension?
The 4 stages of hypertension are prehypertension, stage 1 hypertension, stage 2 hypertension, and stage 3 hypertension.
Related Tags
This article broadly covered the following related topics:
- about high blood pressure
- what causes high blood pressure
- symptoms of high blood pressure
- types of high blood pressure
- what blood pressure is too high
