High blood pressure is the result of unhealthy levels of blood pressure. Also known as hypertension, it is merely the measurement of the amount of blood passing via your blood vessels and the resistance amount met by the blood while the heart pumps. The narrower your arteries will be, the more the resistance will occur. It is what causes high blood pressure. Over time, a constant increase in the blood pressure brings many health issues such as heart diseases.
At present, high blood pressure is widespread. It doesn’t begin suddenly, but it develops over the time of many years. Generally, its symptoms aren’t visible. However, without witnessing any signs of high blood pressure, it can cause severe damage to the blood vessels and other crucial organs like eyes, brain, kidneys, and heart most prominently.
It is essential to detect what causes high blood pressure at an early stage to regularize in time. Therefore, individuals should get blood pressure check-ups frequently. Any unusual fluctuations will be natural to detect. In case of elevated blood pressure, your doctor may advise you to check if the numbers are still high or are falling back to the normal levels.
As far as treatment of blood pressure is concerned, it comprises medication as well as acquiring a healthy lifestyle. Ignoring the condition can severe health issues such as strokes and heart attacks.
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Symptoms of High Blood Pressure
Generally, it is a silent health condition and doesn’t show any indications at first. Most of the people claim not to have any symptoms of high blood pressure. It takes years and sometimes decades for the symptoms of high blood pressure. Only then, an individual can know the actual reasons for what causes high blood pressure. Even then, the symptoms of high blood pressure are connected with other health issues. Some of the common symptoms of hypertension are:
- Persistent headaches from severe to mild intensity
- Difficulty in breathing or shortness
- Nose-bleeding
- Hot flashes
- Feeling dizzy
- Experiencing chest pain
- Changes in vision
- Urine with blood
If an individual encounters any of the symptoms, he/she needs instant medical attention. The above symptoms do not happen with every person having hypertension. But one should not wait for the symptoms to appear as it could be fatal and life-threatening in some cases.
The best way to find what causes high blood pressure is to get regular blood pressure monitoring. Though a majority of people do not get health check-ups frequently, yet it should one of the major concerns. For people who have yearly physical check-ups, they should consult with their doctors about the hypertension risks alongside other readings to get close monitoring of the blood pressure. For instance, if there is any family history related to heart diseases or having risk factors of the development of high blood pressure, ask your doctor to check blood pressure at least twice within a year. It will help to keep on check any probable health issues before they turn problematic.
What causes high blood pressure?
For understanding what causes high blood pressure, first, it is necessary to take into account the types of hypertension, which are of two kinds. Also, each type has different causes.
Primary hypertension
It is also known as essential hypertension. Primary hypertension has no identifiable causes behind its development. Most of the people suffer from high blood pressure of this kind. However, it is not clear what causes high blood pressure to increase gradually. Yet, there is a combination of responsible factors playing a dominant role in the gradual development of high blood pressure. Some of the factors include:
- Genetic or hereditary causes: Blood pressure is more of a genetic disease. It can be caused due to genetic abnormalities or genetic mutations that your parents might have inherited in you.
- Physical changes:In case of any physical changes, it is more likely for you to experience issues in your entire body. What causes high blood pressure includes such matters.
- Environment can also be the cause: Over time, due to unhealthy lifestyle routine and wrong food choices can bring high blood pressure issue. It can be a lack of exercise and a poor diet taking a toll on the body. Your lifestyle choices are the major causes of unexplained weight gain. If you are over-weight, you are on the verge of developing hypertension.
Secondary hypertension
Unlike primary hypertension, secondary one occurs rapidly, and it can acquire severity as compared to primary hypertension. Different conditions that are comprised of what causes high blood pressure are:
- Kidney diseases
- Congenital heart diseases
- Obstructive sleep disorders
- Thyroid problems
- Side-effects due to certain medications
- Using illegal drugs
- Alcoholism or chronic alcohol use
- Issues with adrenal gland
- Endocrine tumors
Home remedies for curing hypertension or High Blood Pressure
To cure high blood pressure, specific home remedies can help you to a great extent. Some of them are:
- A healthy diet is the first and foremost thing to achieve a reduction in high blood pressure. It may include fruits, whole grains, vegetables possibly green and leafy one, and lean proteins such as fish.
- Try to reach a healthy and ideal weight according to your Body Mass Index. Become active physically as much as possible.
Additionally, exercise also reduces stress and brings down blood pressure in a natural manner. It also strengthens the cardiovascular system of our body.
- Manage your stress level. Some other activities, such as practicing deep breathing, meditation, yoga, muscle relaxation, massage, and tai chi, etc. are highly essential and useful measures.
- A cleaner lifestyle is as much important as a healthy and balanced one is. Quit smoking and alcohol. At least try to include some efforts to quit. Tobacco and the other chemicals harm your body’s tissues severely, along with hardening the walls of blood vessels.
- alcohol raises blood pressure. So, if you are too dependent on alcohol and smoking, seek help for the reduction in drinking and smoking altogether.
Understanding readings of hypertension:
A blood pressure reading contains two numbers:
- Systolic: It is the top or first number that appears in the blood pressure reading. It shows the blood pressure in the arteries while the heart is beating and pumping the blood.
- Diastolic: It is the bottom or second number, and it indicates the reading of blood pressure in the arteries between the heartbeats.
Categories defining reading of blood pressure
- Normal or Healthy blood pressure: If the range falls below 120/80 mm Hg(millimeters of mercury), then the blood pressure is normal.
- Elevated blood pressure: If systolic lies between 120-129 mmHg, whereas diastolic is falling below 80 mmHg, it is considered as elevated blood pressure. Usually, for such minor elevation, doctors do not prescribe medication but suggest acquiring healthy lifestyle changes and following a balanced diet.
- Hypertension Stage 1: The systolic ranges between 130-139 mmHg and the Diastolic 80-89 mmHg.
- Hypertension Stage 2: The systolic ranges between 140 and more mmHg or the diastolic reading 90 mmHg or more than that.
- Hypertensive crisis: The Systolic number above 180 mmHg or the diastolic number above 120 mmHg. In this range, the individual needs urgent medical assistance. Symptoms like chest pain, breath shortness, headache, vision alteration happen during this high blood pressure.
What causes low blood pressure?
The medical term for low blood pressure is Hypotension, and its range is 90/60. In quite healthy people, what causes low blood pressure is hard to say. Because it is not much of a concern until unless an individual experiences symptoms and it doesn’t need any treatment as well. However, low blood pressure indicates an underlying health issue, especially in the case of older adults. Hypotension in old age people can result in the insufficient flow of blood to their heart and other vital organs, including the brain.
Usually, what causes low blood pressure is not a problem, but a sudden drop in blood pressure may be an alarming sign. This sudden drop in blood pressure can cause various health issues, and the brain faces deprivation of sufficient blood supply.
What causes low blood pressure often remains unclear. However, the issue is usually associated with:
- Pregnancy: Hormonal imbalances like hypothyroidism(underactive thyroid), Hypoglycemia (Low blood sugar) or diabetes.
- Over counter medicines:Low blood pressure can also be the effect of certain medications taken for depression, Hypertension (High Blood pressure), or Parkinson’s disease.
- Heart failure: Abnormal heartbeat, dilated, or widened blood vessels.
- Heat stroke or exhaustion
- Liver diseases
Why the sudden drop?
A sudden or quick blood pressure drop can become life-threatening. Some causes behind this sudden drop are:
- Blood loss due to any reason
- Low or high body temperature
- Heart disease resulting in heart failure
- Sepsis, a kind of severe infection in the blood
- Dehydration caused by diarrhea, vomiting or fever
- A reaction due to alcohol or specific medication
- Anaphylaxis, an allergic reaction causing irregular heartbeat
Postural Hypotension
Postural Hypotension is when blood pressure drops after sudden standing up. Various reasons can be causing this like food lacking, Dehydration, or overly fatigued. It can also be caused by genetic structure, psychological and dietary factors, medication, or aging. Acute triggers such as an allergy or an infection can also be the cause of Postural Hypotension.
People who consume drugs to cope with high blood pressure usually end up with Hypotension. Pregnancy, hardened arteries, intense emotions, or diabetes are other causes of Postural Hypotension. Notably, older people get affected, especially the ones with dysfunctional nervous systems or hypertension.
Usually, if a person falls or feels dizziness right after eating, Hypotension is the cause. It happens due to the consumption of carbohydrates in large amounts post large meals. It is considered to be causing blood pools into the blood vessels of the intestines and stomach.
Apart from the meals, there are several drugs that postural Hypotension is associated with. Likewise, Drugs for the treatment of hypertension include beta-blockers, diuretics, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, and calcium channel blockers.
Some drugs even have low blood pressure as a side effect like nitrates, medications for erectile dysfunction, and medications for Parkinson ’s disease, Anti-anxiety drugs, tricyclic antidepressants, and sedative-hypnotics.
Common reasons behind postural Hypotension occurring naturally are:
- Electrolyte loss, and Dehydration that may be a result of vomiting, fever, diarrhea, excessive loss of blood either during menstruation or other health issues.
- Blood pressure declination due to aging that can reach worsened conditions as a result of specific medication or health conditions.
Some diseases also cause postural Hypotension like:
- Cardiovascular disorders
- Nutritional diseases
- Alcoholism
- Nerve problems
Symptoms of Hypotension (Low blood pressure)
There are various symptoms of Hypotension. Some of which are:
- Feeling dizzy or light-headedness
- Being unsteady
- Blurry or dim vision
- Feeling very weak and fatigued
- Nausea along with extreme cold or extreme clammy skin
- Fainting and pale skin
Treatment for low Blood pressure
It is essential to know what causes low blood pressure to determine the right treatment for the same. For most of the people, specific lifestyle changes and diet can treat even chronic Hypotension. It depends on the causes of your low blood pressure symptoms. further, your doctor can suggest you enhance blood pressure through = some of the changes as:
- Intake of considerably high-salted diet
- Drinking plenty of fluids except the alcoholic ones
- Limiting alcoholic beverages
- During hot seasons, drink ample amount of liquids as well as during sicknesses like cold, viral fever or the flu
- Regular exercising for promoting blood flow throughout the body
- Avoid lifting heavyweight
- Avoid standing for a long time
- Do not expose your body to hot water for a prolonged duration like spas and hot showers.
- Eat smaller meals or divide the meals into several parts to avoid dizziness and lessening the episodes of low blood pressure.
- Do not consume drugs to bring blood pressure down before meals
Conclusively, it can be said that the reasons for both Hypertension and Hypotension are manifold. Yet, an individual can control and manage both of them with a proper lifestyle, healthy and balanced diet, and regular physical activity. Begin today to control it from reaching an alarming level.