High blood pressure & lifestyle management
High blood pressure or hypertension
refers to a condition in which the pressure of blood against our artery
walls and in our blood vessels remains too high for a long term. It is one of
the most known cardiovascular diseases.
Blood pressure
is directly proportional to the amount of blood our heart pumps. It is measured
by the combination of the amounts of blood pumped by the heart and the
resistance to blood flow in our arteries.
The condition
of high blood pressure can affect anyone, as it is a general lifestyle disease.
Causes of high blood pressure
Being a general
lifestyle disease, high blood pressure is mainly caused by the mistakes we make
in our lifestyle that lead to the development of other common diseases. Let’s
know more about the major causes of high blood pressure -
● Chronic kidney disease
Chronic kidney disease is a major cause of high blood
pressure. In this, our kidney fails to purify the toxins present in our blood
which affects the working of other internal organs and thus tends to increase
the blood pressure.
● Diabetes
Diabetes is a general lifestyle disease which is also known
to cause high blood pressure. The effects of diabetes encircle a wide range of
other general lifestyle diseases and high blood pressure is one of them.
● Thyroid disorder
The dysfunctioning of the thyroid gland which results in the
abnormal production of thyroid hormone is called thyroid disorder. Although it
can be controlled by adopting a healthy lifestyle, if untreated, it can cause
high blood pressure too.
● Lupus
Lupus is a state in which our immune system misbehaves and
tends to damage our organs, skin and joints by attacking them. The damage
caused due to lupus can lead to high blood pressure.
● Scleroderma
Scleroderma is a condition that is known to thicken the skin
and sometimes create problems with our organs as well as blood vessels. The
effects of scleroderma can cause high blood pressure.
Risk factors that can cause high blood pressure
There are so
many factors that make us more prone to high blood pressure, let’s know more
about some of the major factors-
● Obesity or overweight : an overweight person carries more risk of suffering from BP problems.
● Poor eating habits : poor eating habits of a person is a major cause for various lifestyle
diseases and high blood pressure is one of them.
● Lack of rest :
the lack of rest or sleep increases the risk of high BP.
● Over consumption of alcohol
● Over consumption of coffee
● Lack of physical exercises
● Eating too much salty food
● Age above 60
● Smoking
● Depression and stress
These are
factors associated with general lifestyle mistakes that increase the risk of
high blood pressure.
Major symptoms of high blood pressure
A moderate rise
in the blood pressure doesn’t show noticeable symptoms, but if blood pressure
remains immensely high then the following symptoms can be experienced :
● Headaches● Shortness of breath● Nose-bleeding● Presence of blood in the urine● Fatigue or tiredness● Blurred vision● Irregular heartbeats
Lifestyle changes to control high blood pressure?
High BP is a disorder
that is caused by the effects of an unhealthy lifestyle. A healthy lifestyle
lowers the risk of high BP as it plays a significant role in keeping us healthy
and free from general lifestyle diseases. Some practices of a healthy lifestyle
are mentioned below -
1.
Healthy diet : Eating a healthy diet can actually
help in treating high blood pressure. Having a diet plan that includes all the
essential nutrients improves our immune system which indeed keeps us free from
lifestyle diseases.
2.
Avoid foods that contain too much
salt : eating too
much salty food makes our blood pressure high, therefore avoiding those food
items that contain too much salt helps to keep the blood pressure in control.
3.
Weight loss, if you are overweight : obesity is one of the main reasons
to cause high blood pressure. Thus, the process of losing weight could really
work in controlling high BP.
4.
Quit smoking : smoking raises our blood pressure,
the tobacco that is consumed through smoking damages our body and therefore
increases the pressure of blood against our artery walls.
5.
Limiting alcohol consumption : lowering the consumption of
alcoholic beverages could lower your blood pressure too.
6.
Exercising regularly : exercising regularly keeps the blood
pressure in control as exercising leads to sweating more and the extra amount
of salt in our body gets flushed out through sweat.
7.
Stress management : stress is one of the common causes of
hypertension. Stress if left untreated can damage our internal organs which may
increase the blood pressure.
Overall analysis
High bloodpressure or hypertension is a condition in which the pressure of blood against
the artery walls becomes abnormally high that it starts damaging certain organs
and blood vessels. It usually occurs due to the effects of general lifestyle
diseases such as diabetes, obesity and thyroid etc. Thus, the risk and
consequences of high blood pressure can be avoided by making healthy changes in
our lifestyle.
Treatment of
hypertension can actually be pretty complicated on our own therefore, one
should definitely consult a registered
dietitian or yoga trainer and
seek his guidance and help.