Hypertension is also known high blood pressure. Blood pressure moves blood from your heart through your veins and arteries. High blood pressure is dangerous because it causes your heart to work harder and increases your risk for heart problems such as heart attacks and strokes. Hypertension also increases your risk for various kidney problems and can even cause blindness.
It is often difficult to determine what causes hypertension. It can be a variety of factors which we will discuss, but sometimes it may be caused by medication that you are taking. This is then called secondary hypertension. It is usually impossible to know if you have hypertension and this is why regular visits to your doctor are imperative. You need to get your blood pressure checked in order to determine if you are in a safe range.
The good news is that hypertension is treatable. If you change your eating habits and make sure you get plenty of exercise you should be able to reduce your blood pressure. Your doctor may also prescribe certain medications that can help to lower your blood pressure but you should make these lifestyle changes as well. Reducing stress and learning how to deal with it is also beneficial.
Hypertension affects more those who are overweight. Thus, along with other lifestyle changes you also have to try to reduce your weight. Research has revealed that even a 10 pound drop in weight goes far in lowering your high blood pressure. Of course reducing weight is not an easy task and takes time to happen. You will have to be patient in the mean time.
If you don’t know how to go about losing weight, consider hiring a personal trainer through your local gym. You may only need a few sessions with a trainer to and in that time they can show you how to use the machines and to create an exercise program that will help you lose weight and become more active.
If your eating habits are poor, you may want to consult with a nutritionist. They may ask to you write down for a week what you’re eating; based on this information they will then come up with a plan that you can stick to. Nothing is more alarming than the prospect of trading a favorite food like chicken fingers for carrot sticks. Nutritionists can offer suggestions to make the transition to eating healthy smooth and simple.
If you smoke you need to quit. It’s as simple as that. There is no excuse for smoking and no health benefits whatsoever which can cause only serious problems. Smoking raises your blood pressure and creates dangerous hypertension. You need to quit as soon as possible, not only for your health but also for the health of those around you. Second hand smoke is extremely dangerous as well. Be sure to talk to your doctor about different options to help you quit smoking since you don’t need to do it on your own.
Hypertension is a very serious condition but it is treatable. You need to start making changes in your lifestyle today to combat the potentially dangerous problems that go hand in hand with hypertension. Even if you don’t have hypertension you should quit smoking, start exercising, and start eating healthy. Stopping health problems before they start is the best way to ensure you stay healthy and happy.
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September 4th, 2007 at 6:48 am