High blood pressure (hypertension) has been called "the silent killer." The American Heart Association estimates that one in every three adults has high blood pressure. Look for basic symptoms and conditions to help determine whether you have it, and what you can do about it.
Definition and Basics
According to the Webster's New World Dictionary, blood pressure is "the pressure exerted by the blood against the inner walls of the blood vessels, especially the arteries, or the heart: it varies with health, age, emotional tension, etc." The average, healthy blood pressure reading for an adult is 120/80. The upper number is the systolic pressure, when your heart actually beats. The bottom is your diastolic pressure; it shows where your level is when your heart is at rest.
Telltale Signs
Ordinarily, there are no symptoms for high blood pressure, especially if your numbers are only mildly higher than normal. Dr. Karlis Ullis, a Los Angeles-based physician specializing in aging and sports medicine, says that most of the time, "...the only way to tell if you have high blood pressure is to have it checked at your yearly exam." However, there are some telltale signs if it spikes too high. These include:fatigue, irregular heartbeat, confusion or dizziness and headaches. This last symptom shows up in the morning, as you're waking up. There is also secondary hypertension and malignant hypertension, which are really medical disorders in and of themselves.
Factors
According to a report from the McKinley Health Center at the University of Illinois, some factors affecting blood pressure come from unchangeable sources: being African American, being older than 35 or having a family history of high blood pressure. Other conditions have a profound affect on blood pressure but are easily treatable. For instance, alcohol consumption, smoking, caffeine intake and stress can all affect blood pressure.
Solutions
Alcohol consumption should be limited to two drinks per day for men and one for women. Smoking is obvious. Just don't. Don't have more than 200mgs of coffee per day (about 2 cups). For stress, there are many techniques to lower it to acceptable levels--including meditation, visualization and breathing techniques.
There are easy steps to take to help lower your blood pressure through your diet. Keep sodium intake low. Many foods already have sodium in them, especially prepared and frozen foods.
Keep your foods low in fat. A high-fat diet affects your arteries, which affect your blood pressure. Switch to low-fat mayonnaise, lower-fat cheeses and ease up on red meat. Make sure most of your food choices come from low-fat proteins and healthy grains, vegetables and fruits.
Exercise is one of the easiest forms of blood pressure management. You don't have to join a gym, either. Take a walk, do some lunges while you're vacuuming the house, use soup cans to do some biceps curls. Just move--you'll burn calories, get your blood to move more efficiently through your body and find you get more things done in a day. Whichever measures you take, consult your doctor first.
References
- McKinley Health Center, University of Illinois
- Dr. Karlis Ullis, Medical Director Sports Medicine, Preventive & Anti-Aging Medical Group, Santa Monica, CA
