The Top 10 Risk Factors For High Blood Pressure You Should Be Aware Of!
Blood pressure is the pressure or force exerted by your blood against your artery walls. With every heartbeat (1 complete cycle has two phases: 1 contraction – when fresh blood is pumped into the arteries & 2 – relaxation or resting phase when heart remains at rest). The pressure is highest (systolic blood pressure) when blood is pumped towards your arteries. The pressure is lowest (diastolic blood pressure) during the resting phase or relaxation phase. If the blood pressure goes beyond normal, it may eventually lead to heart problems such as heart attack or stroke that may be too serious and life-threatening. The good thing is that you can now measure your blood pressure using a device known as a sphygmomanometer or simply BP monitoring device which shows both systolic and diastolic readings.
- The first number, called systolic pressure, is the pressure caused by your heart contracting and pushing out blood.
- The second number, called diastolic pressure, is the pressure when your heart relaxes and fills with blood.
Normal blood pressure is when your systolic pressure is between 120 and 129 and your diastolic pressure is below 80. High blood pressure is when your systolic pressure is 140 or higher and/or your diastolic pressure is 90 or higher. You have prehypertension if your systolic pressure is between 120 and 139 or your diastolic pressure is between 80 and 89.
The Top 10 Risk Factors For High Blood Pressure You Should Be Aware Of!
Aging
Most people tend to develop high blood pressure symptoms as they grow old in their 60s, however, due to bad lifestyle choices and certain medical conditions, there is no particular age at which a person develops hypertension.
Strong Family History
High blood pressure can be related to genetic predisposition where certain characteristics tend to run through newer generations.
Being Obese
Weighing more on a weight scale can increase your chances to have high blood pressure because of increased effort and workload on your heart due to increased demand for adequate blood supply from all your body tissues.
Lack of Physical Activity
People lacking physical activity generally have higher heart rate requiring extra work to be done by your heart in maintaining your body metabolism. This extra workload causes higher pressures on your artery walls. It also increases your tendency to gain more weight.
Use of Tobacco
Smoking and even chewing tobacco can both put you at risk of potential high blood pressure. Tobacco products can potentially cause damage or narrowing of the walls of your arteries over time.
Taking Too Much Salt
It can potentially increase the sodium levels in your blood which helps in fluid retention in your body. If excess fluid is retained, it will surely cause your blood pressure to rise.
Heavy Alcohol Intake
Alcohol in moderation is okay, but excess alcohol intake can potentially cause damage to your heart.
Diabetes
Continuously high sugar levels can potentially cause damage to your arteries resulting in a condition called atherosclerosis where your arterial walls become hard.
High Levels of Stress
Higher stress levels can give rise to high blood pressure especially when you try to manage it by increasing your smoking, drinking, or tobacco chewing habits.
Certain Chronic Medical Conditions
Medical conditions such as sleep apnea and kidney disease can also cause your blood pressure to rise.
If you have any such risk factors for high blood pressure, you may need to alter your lifestyle based on an expert’s recommendation such as Dr. Arun, who is a board-certified interventional cardiologist who can outline the best possible dietary and activity modifications that you may need for your heart to remain healthy. In case you are already struggling with high blood pressure symptoms or diagnosed with a heart condition, Dr. Arun has all the necessary skills and expertise with a proven track record to help you out with his excellent standards of quality care.
