How to Prevent Yourself from High Blood Pressure? - By: Tauqeer Hassan

Blood constantly moves inside the human body and it is distributed to every part for delivering oxygen to the internal organs. This moving ability id because of the pressure exerted y the pumping heart. The faster heart pumping will raise the blood pressure.

The blood pressure is at its highest level when the heart pumps the blood; this is called the heart beat. This is the systolic pressure when the heart rests between beats and when the blood pressure falls; it is called the diastolic pressure. These both types of pressures are often stated as a fraction. If the blood pressure measures 120/80, it can be said that the heart pumps blood one and half more times than the time when it is at rest.

Normal blood pressure

The blood pressure of a healthy person changes during the day. It decreases during sleep and increases after waking. It rises at the time when a person is involved in physical activities like sports. It can also rise when a person is excited, angry or nervous. However, the blood pressure stays fairly the same whether one is standing still or sitting.

A normal blood pressure level must be lower than 120/80 for adults and people above 18 years who don’t have short term serious illness, are not taking medicines for high blood pressure and don’t have other conditions like kidney diseases and diabetes.

When the blood pressure level remains as high as 140/90 or higher, it means that the person has high blood pressure. The heart of a person with high blood pressure will work harder and the arteries take a beating. A person suffering from high blood pressure has greater chances of stroke, heart attack and kidney problems.

Persons with primary high blood pressure are generally unaware of the real causes of the condition. Research relating to this area continues as doctors tend to find more effective cures for high blood pressure. High blood pressure that is caused by taking medicines or other medical problems are called secondary high blood pressure and this kind of blood pressure is more curable than the earlier one. A useful fact to note is that a blood pressure of 130/80 or higher is considered as high blood pressure in persons who are suffering from and chronic kidney diseases and diabetes.

People who are vulnerable

High blood pressure is mostly related to aging population. Generally, men suffer from high blood pressure more than women. More than half of Americans above the age of 65 years suffer from high blood pressure. More than three quarters of women over the age of 75 years suffer from high blood pressure while 64 percent men of 75 years ond over suffer from high blood pressure.
Old women undergoing menopause show an increase in systolic pressure because of loss of estrogen, this may result in increased stiffness of the arteries. Other study reveals that more menopausal women undergoing hormone replacement therapy suffer from high blood pressure as compared to those who are not taking hormones.

Overweight people have a higher risk of for high blood pressure. Lack of exercise makes it easier to gain weight and similarly increasing the chances of high blood pressure. People who drink excessive alcohol or take illegal drugs like cocaine also have the risk of having high blood pressure.

Sometimes, medicines like steroids or birth control pills can also be a cause of high blood pressure. High blood pressure is more common in women who take oral contraceptives for five years or longer as compared to those women who don’t take them.

Pregnant women can also have high blood pressure known as toxemia or preeclampsia. However this condition is uncommon and only found in 6-8 percent of pregnant women.

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