Blood Pressure

“A known devil is better than an unknown one”.

Similarly, we can resolve the problem only when we know about the problem. And in case when we miss solving the problem in initial phase, chances are more that the situation worsens, and it becomes difficult to rectify fully or to resolve the situation later.

The story is similar when we talk about “high blood pressure”. High blood pressure is a silent killer. Our body does not give any major signs or symptoms when blood pressure is high. In few cases, the signs or symptoms are so much mild that the chances are more that they are easily missed. According to the World Health Organization, hypertension is the leading cause for premature death. The worrisome part is, 46% of them showed no symptoms or mild symptoms which one would easily ignore.

High blood pressure increases the risk of heart attack, stroke & kidney failure. It also damages blood vessels and increase risk of vision issues, erectile disfunction & increased risk of alzheimer and dementia in later life.

Let’s understand about high blood pressure in detail.

1) Blood pressure: For circulation of blood, it is necessary to have a normal pressure in the blood. When the pressure is higher than normal, the condition is called a high blood pressure or hypertension. Generally, 120/80 mmHg is considered as normal blood pressure. Level of 140/90 mmHg is considered as hypertension.

As mentioned above, high blood pressure does not give noticeable indications, it is imperative to get your blood pressure checked regularly to avoid falling into any trouble.

2) Symptoms of high blood pressure: Bleeding from nose, ringing or buzzing ears, early morning headache, irregular heartbeat or heart palpitation, confusion, anxiety, restlessness etc. are considered as a symptom of a high blood pressure. If pressure increases further, one can experience nausea, vomiting, severe chest pain, blurred speech, blurred vision etc.

Call your doctor if blood pressure reaches at 150/100mmHg and take relevant medications to get your pressure in control at the earliest.

Blood pressure of 180/120mmHg is a crisis. Get yourself admitted to a hospital immediately. Also get yourself checked thoroughly for possible damage of eyes health, heart health and kidneys etc.

3) Reasons behind high blood pressure: The list is long. There’s no sure shot answer for this as blood pressure increases by many conditions and many factors.

a) Chronic ailments: Diabetes and blood pressure are closely connected in a way that one condition can lead to another. Clogged arteries due to high cholesterol also affect blood pressure. Few medications also affect blood pressure.

b)Modern lifestyle:  Overweight, sedentary lifestyle, chronic stress, less consumption of fruit and vegetables, excess consumption of junk and processed food, alcohol and smoking etc. lead to high blood pressure.

c) Non-modifiable factors: Individuals above 65 years of age are more at a risk. Genes also play a part here. Those with a family history of hypertension are also prone to an increased risk.

4) Diet: To manage blood pressure, first thing is to modify the diet.

It is advisable to use less salt and junk/processed food especially for the people who are sensitive to salt. Try reducing salt and see how much difference it is making on your blood pressure levels.

DASH diet helps hypertensive patients well. The DASH diet emphasizes a diet rich in potassium, calcium, and magnesium.

a) Food rich in potassium: Sweet potato, potato, spinach, tomato, pumpkin, white chickpeas, soybean, tuna fish, milk, yogurt, apricot, grapes, banana, orange, watermelon etc are rich in potassium.

b) Food rich in calcium: Low-fat milk, yogurt, cheese, soy milk, almonds, figs, oranges, salmon/sardines fish and leafy green vegetables etc are high in calcium. Up your vitamin d levels for better calcium absorption.

c) Food rich in magnesium: Peanuts/peanut butter, almond, spinach, soybeans, black beans, brown rice, whole wheat, avocado, yogurt etc. are high in magnesium.

5) Lifestyle changes:  Lifestyle changes are essential to lower blood pressure.

• To reduce stress, one should include activities like yoga, breathing exercises, meditation etc.
• Lose some weight.
• Keep your diabetes and cholesterol levels in control
• Stop consuming alcohol
• Stop smoking

When we are dealing with a devil- whether known or unknown, it’s best to make a solid ground for our protection. For blood pressure all it takes 1) to measure pressure regularly 2) changes in diet & lifestyle 3) and taking medications regularly. This will help avoiding long term complications.

Thank you.