High Blood Pressure: What Are Some Causes

By John Faletti

High blood pressure or HBP is caused by the pressure of the blood in the arteries being above a normal level. It is also called hypertension, and there are two different types, which are primary and secondary hypertension. In the majority of cases then the hypertension is primary, that is where there is no underlying cause for there being hypertension. Secondary hypertension is related to other problems in the body, and can have an effect on the major organs.

Hypertension is an extremely serious ailment as it can cause heart attacks, strokes or even kidney failure, and will probably lead to a shorter life expectancy. The good news is that there is medication available to help control hypertension, and that this combined with a change in diet and overall lifestyle can lead to blood pressure dropping to within normal ranges.

Two different kinds of pressure readings are taken in order to measure blood pressure. These are systolic pressure, or the pressure that is in the blood vessels when a normal heartbeat is taking place, and diastolic pressure, or the pressure between heartbeats. There are charts which show the normal ranges for these pressures in a healthy person. A slightly higher reading can show pre-hypertension, whereas a high reading will mean that the person is hypertensive.

Substituting an unhealthy lifestyle for a healthier one is enough for a lot of people to bring their levels down into a normal range, and is a worthwhile commitment to make for such big health gains. For others just changing their lifestyle is not enough and they will need medication to help bring the levels down to within normal levels.

Perhaps the first thing that a person should address is the amount of salt in their diet, as today's food are often very high in sodium. There are salt substitutes available for those that cannot give it up completely. Increasing potassium intake can help to reduce the effects of sodium. Eating a diet that is rich in fruit and vegetables and low in dairy and fat has also found to be helpful in decreasing blood pressure.

Taking more exercise is also useful as it increased the blood flow and helps with weight loss. Cardiovascular exercise obviously helps to strengthen the heart and to reduce the resting pulse rate.

Stopping smoking and drinking will help, as smoking is known to increase blood pressure and cause strokes and heart attacks over time. Alcohol also increased blood pressure immediately after being ingested.

Stress levels should be kept to a minimum as increased levels can cause hypertension. Relaxation methods like yoga and meditation could be tried.

There are a lot of people who are suffering from high blood pressure but who are unaware of the fact. Governments have been working to try to make the public more aware of this ailment, as it is easier and less costly to put right when in the early stages, and will lead to an increased life expectancy.

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