The hubs and I recently had our blood pressure professionally taken. This led to an interesting realization that the hub's blood pressure is waaay too high for his age and fitness level. Up until now, I have never really considered high blood pressure to be an issue for us, we are young twenty-somethings who workout and eat not terribly... Minus the occasional brownie or fast food stop. I know, awful.
What is Blood Pressure
Since this whole blood pressure and the idea of hypertension or high blood pressure is new to me, I need to start from square one- blood pressure is the force of our blood against the walls of our arteries and is measured by systolic and diastolic pressure. Systolic pressure is the amount of force against the arterial wall when the heart is contracted. Diastolic pressure is the force between contractions. Since systolic pressure is measured when the heart is contracted, it makes sense that this pressure would be higher than diastolic pressure.
When measuring blood pressure, the systolic measurement will always be above the diastolic. Meaning that your blood pressure will always be the higher number over the lower. This measurement is made in mm Hg, millimeters of mercury. Normal blood pressure is any number less than 120 over 80. Semi-high is anything between 120-139 over 80-89. High blood pressure is anything between 140-159 over 90-99, this is known as phase 1 of hypertension. Phase 2 hypertension is anything between 160-180 over 100-109. This Having anything higher than this is extremely dangerous.
Effects of Blood Pressure
Low blood pressure or hypotension (anything less than 90/60 mm Hg) can be caused from a lack of blood volume, pregnancy, infection, a lack of vitamin B12, dehydration, endocrine or heart problems , or even be hereditary. Low blood pressure is not an issue unless the person becomes fatigued, depressed, cold or clammy with an inability to become warm on their own, dizzy or lightheaded, dehydrated, or has blurred vision. Unlike low blood pressure, high blood pressure can be dangerous to our health and come with a great deal of unwanted side effects. Sometimes, people with high blood pressure have symptoms such as dizziness, nose bleeds, or headaches. If you have any of these, do not drop everything and run to your doctor. Most people with high blood pressure have no symptoms at all and most of these symptoms over-lap with about fifty other issues. Ridiculous, I know.
High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, can be caused by anything from lack of sleep to narrow arteries due to arterial plaque build-up. Although our blood pressure is continually changing depending on our heart rate, and even, our sitting position, high blood pressure usually builds up over years and will be seen in multiple blood pressure readings. If your blood pressure is unusually high during a reading, take a moment and test it again. If multiple tests come back with high blood pressure, chances are, the test is right. Hypertension that occurs rapidly is called secondary hypertension. This occurs quickly and, unlike primary hypertension, will not be seen gradually increasing over years. Although primary, or essential hypertension is gradually increased over years, there is no know cause of it. Secondary hypertension can be brought on due to issues with the kidneys, tumors in the adrenal glands, hereditary issues, or be a side effect of certain drugs.
If you find you have high blood pressure, it is best to lower it sooner rather than later. High blood pressure can damage the heart and arteries over time, cause heart attack or strokes.
Causes of High Blood Pressure
One in three Americans have hypertension ranging from phase 1 to severe. Most of us have heard that salt increases blood pressure, so, it goes without saying that one of the most common ways to lower your blood pressure is to lower your salt intake. Keeping our salt intake to below one teaspoon, or 2,300 mg, per day can help lower blood pressure over time.
Other causes of high blood pressure include age- as we age our risks of hypertension increase, race- African American's are at higher risk of high blood pressure, a potassium deficiency, obesity, increased alcohol consumption- more than two drinks per day can increase blood pressure and damage the heart over time, stress, tobacco, a vitamin D deficiency- vitamin D produces enzymes used in the kidneys, sleep apnea, diabetes, and kidney disease. If you know any of these are an issue for you and can be altered, it is best to alter them now rather than, say, tomorrow. Exercise is one of the quickest ways to see a lower blood pressure measurement since it will effect many different areas of your life. If exercises is not common for you, start out slow with light jogs or speed walks depending on ability.