What To Do When Blood Pressure Is High During Pregnancy – This medical condition affects about 72 million — or one in three — American adults according to the old guidelines. Under the new guidelines, that number will increase to about 103 Americans. This is a very common, but preventable, condition called high blood pressure, also known as hypertension – so you should be aware if you have symptoms of high blood pressure.
High blood pressure is not only a problem in itself, but also leads to other dangerous health conditions, including stroke, heart attack, chronic heart failure and kidney disease.
What To Do When Blood Pressure Is High During Pregnancy
Did you know that most people with high blood pressure or hypertension have no symptoms, even when their blood pressure reaches dangerously high levels? In fact, many US adults with high blood pressure still don’t know they have it.
I Have High Blood Pressure…now What?’
What exactly is high blood pressure? This is a common disease in which blood flows through the blood vessels and arteries under higher than normal pressure.
Hypertension costs the U.S. $46 billion each year, which includes the cost of health care services, drugs to treat high blood pressure symptoms and missed work days — a number expected to rise as the American Heart Association announced new standards for what what is high blood pressure pressure
Standard treatment for high blood pressure is the prescription of beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors and diuretics, along with persuading the patient to limit salt in the diet. While these things can help, they don’t get to the root of the problem and can sometimes cause more problems.
Blood pressure is the force with which the blood presses against the walls of the arteries when the heart pumps blood. High blood pressure occurs when this force is too high. Scary but true: Most people with this condition show zero signs or symptoms of high blood pressure, even when their blood pressure readings are at dangerously high levels.
High Blood Pressure Diet: What Is It, Foods To Eat, Salt Intake, And More
When measuring blood pressure, two numbers are produced that measure two different pressures. The top number is the systolic pressure, the blood pressure when the heart beats while pumping blood. The second or bottom number is the diastolic pressure, the blood pressure when the heart is at rest between beats.
However, there are now new guidelines that lower the threshold for high blood pressure. The American Heart Association now lowers stage 1 high blood pressure from 140/90 to 130/80.
When blood pressure is elevated, there are often no symptoms of high blood pressure, but some warning signs of very high blood pressure may include chest pain, confusion, headaches, noise or buzzing in the ears, irregular heartbeat, nosebleeds, fatigue, or vision changes.
When symptoms of high blood pressure develop, it is usually because the condition has progressed to a dangerous point. This is called a hypertensive crisis, meaning a systolic/top number higher than 180 or a diastolic/bottom number higher than 110.
Drinks For High Blood Pressure
A hypertensive crisis is considered a medical emergency that requires immediate treatment. Urgent medical attention is required. At this point, symptoms are usually present, including:
At age 50, overall life expectancy is about five years longer for people with normal blood pressure than for those with hypertension. That’s just one more reason it’s worth the effort to manage your high blood pressure symptoms and keep them under control.
Please also note that the above readings are intended for normal adults over the age of 18. If you have diabetes, kidney disease, or a short-term serious illness, your readings will be interpreted differently. If you have diabetes (another very common problem) or chronic kidney disease, high blood pressure is defined as 130/80 or higher.
If you know what triggers high blood pressure, you can prevent or reverse it. As with most other chronic diseases, the reason someone develops high blood pressure is related to several factors.
How To Treat High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure seems to run in families, but it also depends a lot on the lifestyle someone leads. Women are at increased risk if they are on birth control pills, during pregnancy, or if they are taking hormone therapy drugs to control menopausal symptoms. Obesity or being overweight increases the likelihood because it puts more pressure on the heart and arteries.
Men and women are equally likely to develop high blood pressure in their lifetime, but interestingly, men are more likely to develop it when they are younger. Before the age of 45, men are more likely than women to have high blood pressure, but this reverses after the age of 65, when the risk is higher for women than for men. When children under 10 have high blood pressure, it’s usually a side effect of another condition. This may include kidney problems, medication use, or type 1 diabetes.
High blood pressure has quite a list of risk factors. The good news is that most of these risk factors for hypertension are within your control. They include:
High blood pressure is most prevalent in the adult population, but children are also at risk. Sometimes, children may experience symptoms of high blood pressure caused by heart or kidney problems.
High Blood Pressure In Kids
However, more and more children who have high blood pressure are facing this chronic problem at an early age due to poor lifestyle habits – unhealthy diet and lack of exercise, which are directly related to the increase in childhood obesity and childhood hypertension.
More than 360,000 deaths in America in 2013 involved high blood pressure as a primary or contributing cause. This translates to a very alarming and worrying nearly 1,000 deaths every day.
The risk of low and high blood pressure usually increases with age, in part due to normal changes during aging.
There are often no symptoms of high blood pressure as the blood pressure rises. However, some warning signs of very high blood pressure may include chest pain, confusion, headaches, ringing in the ears, irregular heartbeat, vision changes, or fatigue.
High Blood Pressure (hypertension)
Meanwhile, chronic low blood pressure without symptoms is almost never serious. Low blood pressure is a concern when the blood pressure drops suddenly and the brain is deprived of an adequate blood supply. This can cause dizziness or lightheadedness.
A sudden drop in blood pressure most often occurs when a person gets up from a lying or sitting position to a standing one. This type of low blood pressure is known as postural hypotension or orthostatic hypotension. Another type of low blood pressure can occur when someone is standing for long periods of time. This is called neurally mediated hypotension.
Blood flow to the heart muscle and brain declines with age, often as a result of plaque build-up in the blood vessels. It is estimated that 10 to 20 percent of people over the age of 65 have postural hypotension.
As long as you do not experience symptoms of low blood pressure, there is no reason to worry. Most doctors consider chronic low blood pressure to be dangerous only if it causes noticeable signs and symptoms such as:
Hypertension Vs. Hypotension: The Highs And Lows Of Blood Pressure
With two-thirds of the population having clinical hypertension or pre-hypertension, this is a health issue that needs attention and fast. Fortunately, with the recommendations below, you can easily and naturally start improving your blood pressure symptoms today.
The mineral magnesium is great because it helps relax your blood vessels and can have an immediate effect on naturally lowering blood pressure (and many people are deficient in magnesium, which affects high blood pressure).
A study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition found that a diet high in magnesium can reduce the risk of stroke by 8 percent. This is very important considering that hypertension causes 50 percent of ischemic strokes in the world. This is why magnesium supplementation can help with blood pressure problems.
One of the main causes of high blood pressure is inflammation in the arteries over time. Studies have shown that consuming fish oil, which is high in EPA and DHA forms of omega-3 fatty acids, reduces inflammation in the body, so fish oil benefits heart health.
Patients Can Take These Steps To Lower Their High Blood Pressure
Coenzyme Q10, or CoQ10, is an antioxidant that is critical to supporting heart health and is critical if you’ve ever taken blood pressure or cholesterol-lowering medications.
In a review of 17 randomized controlled trials examining the effects of CoQ10 supplementation on blood pressure in patients with metabolic disease, the results showed that CoQ10 supplementation significantly reduced systolic blood pressure. However, it did not lower diastolic blood pressure in any statistically significant way.
Consuming cocoa, available in powder form, increases the intake of flavonols, which help lower blood pressure and improve blood flow to the brain and heart. Cocoa is also a natural vasodilator, meaning it increases nitric oxide in the blood and dilates blood vessels.
A 2017 review of 35 trials found that chocolate and flavanol-rich cocoa products produce a small (2 mmHg) blood pressure-lowering effect in the short term in mostly healthy adults.
Systolic Vs. Diastolic Blood Pressure
Garlic is another natural vasodilator, and if you can’t get enough of it from your diet, it’s available as a supplement in liquid or pill form.
A 2016 study found that aged garlic reduced peripheral and central blood pressure in patients with uncontrolled hypertension. It also has the potential to improve arterial stiffness, inflammation and other cardiovascular markers in patients with elevated levels.
Physical activity can help you maintain a healthy weight and lower your blood pressure. Ideally, you should engage in some form of physical activity and/or exercise for at least 20 minutes a day to relax
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