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By conservative estimates, there are over 600 million adults worldwide
believed to be suffering from persistent high blood pressure or hypertension
to use the technical term. In the last few years doctors have defined a new
level of risk, prehypertension (a borderline pressure range which is a
warning of trouble to come.) Over the course of our lives, maybe 90% of us
will develop a blood pressure problem, with half of us dying from either a
stroke or heart disease - hypertension's frequent outcome.
As it does most of its harm without the person knowing it, hypertension is
often referred to as "The Stealth Killer." Yet it's true that a few painless
moments in a pressure cuff can detect hypertension, and a few relatively
simple lifestyle changes can treat it.
This is not an excessively complex problem so what is going so badly wrong,
when everyone is bombarded with advertising, and magazine articles that
promote a healthy lifestyle. For whatever reason the majority choose to
ignore the warning and continue doing all the "bad things" such as drinking
alcohol, eating high fat snacks, and smoking.
Could You Be At Risk? First lets take a look at your blood pressure
reading and what it means. A blood pressure reading is represented by two
numbers, 120/80 or 160/100 for example. The first number refers to the
pressure against the blood vessel walls during a heartbeat, the systolic
pressure. The second number is the pressure taken between heartbeats, the
diastolic pressure. Here are the American Heart Association's recommended
levels of blood pressure (units
mm Hg):- Normal: 120 or less / 80 or less Prehypertension: 120-139 (
systolic) or 80-89 (diastolic) Stage 1 Hypertension: 140-159 or 90-99 Stage
2 Hypertension: 160 and above or 100 and above
Factors Beyond Your Control - African Americans and those with a dark
complexion (e.g., Bahamians and Native Americans) are at a much higher risk.
While the reasons may not be clear, some believe that this is due to genetic
or environmental factors.
High blood pressure has no mercy on the sexes. Men are more likely than
women to have hypertension before the age of 55. Women are generally more
aware of their health and take preventative measures to ward off
hypertension, but they are still susceptible to the disease.
The risk of having high blood pressure increases as you age. It's common for
adults between 50 and 65 to have hypertension. As the body changes, it
affects your heart, blood vessels, and hormones. These changes, combined
with other risk factors, increase your chances of developing hypertension
Family history can also indicate a risk. Twenty-five percent of adults that
have a family history of heart disease or high blood pressure have a 60
percent risk of developing hypertension. Genetics, environment, and your
access to receiving good health care are all determining factors. A family
history doesn't mean that you are destined to have high blood pressure.
However, it does mean that you should take preventative measures to ensure
that your vulnerability is low.
Changeable Risk Factors - Being aware of your risk is the first positive
step you can take in "lowering" your risk of hypertension Being overweight
or obese, a lack of exercise, eating badly, smoking and drinking too much,
all play a role. Changing your lifestyle has a definite impact.
Excess weight contributes to hypertension in all sorts of ways. Diets which
are high in fat are often high in salt, which boosts blood pressure.
Carrying that extra weight also causes the heart to work more, forcing the
blood even harder through the vessels. Also a blood gas that helps the
vessels relax is destroyed by fat situated around the gut.
Healthy eating is the first step to reducing your risk. A low-fat, low-salt,
high nutrient diet is recommended. Reduce your intake of processed
foods, salty snacks and cured meats. Eat more fish and poultry. Fill up on
fruits and vegetables. Better eating habits can lower the needle on the
bathroom scales and on the pressure monitor.
Sodium is one of the body's deadliest enemies. One of the most common
dietary sources of sodium is salt. A high salt intake requires the body to
hold more water, which is first stored in the bloodstream before loading the
tissues. This fluid retention places great stress on the heart and increases
the possibility of developing hypertension. Potassium is known to
encourage a healthy balance of the amount of sodium within cell fluids.
Fruits and vegetables are an excellent source of potassium - such as that
which is found in bananas.
Various forms of physical activity - a short 20-minute walk or housecleaning
task - can have a serious impact on your life. Any type of exercise aids in
the heart's effort to pump blood through your body. Lack of exercise places
stress on the heart, resulting in escalated blood pressure. Make a
commitment to exercise for at least 30 minutes three or four times per week.
There can be few things worse for hypertension than smoking tobacco, which
increases the heart rate while hardening and constricting the blood vessels.
This leads to even higher pressure, which in turn further damages the heart
and blood vessels.
Alcohol is another "no-no". An occasional beer or glass of wine will not
send you over the edge, but indulging in them can cause serious problems.
Consuming three or more alcoholic beverages a day nearly doubles your risk
of high blood pressure.
Get Smart - For those in the high risk category, a change of lifestyle can
decrease the chances of developing high blood pressure. The adoption
of a healthier life style is a goal that everyone is capable of achieving.
Instead of taking a gamble, choose to take intelligent steps toward lowering
your risk of high blood pressure.
Written by Edward Vorwerden.
After recovering from a stroke at the age of 37, he has
put his efforts into providing a quality online resource for health related
issues. Discover more help, advice and tips from Edward by visiting
http://www.rvhealth.com/
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