High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure, or hypertension, refers to a consistently increased blood flow in the arteries. It is actually the force that blood exerts on the arteries as it flows that defines how high or low the pressure is. A stronger than normal force on the artery walls implies high blood pressure. In the long term, it can cause serious health damages. Arteries are those vessels that take blood from the heart to the rest of the body as it contracts and relaxes. As such, the impact of high blood pressure is primarily on the arteries, as the tissue of the artery walls is made to stretch beyond limit.
Symptoms of HBP
The normal blood pressure is mostly around 120/80 mm Hg. These numbers signify the force against the arteries as the heart contracts and rests respectively, pumping blood. As far as the symptoms are concerned, there are none on an immediate basis and hence, makes this a highly risky and deceptive disease. Symptoms only show once the higher number, also called the systolic, exceeds 180. In this case, the symptoms may include severe headache, difficulty in seeing clear and anxiety, among others. To keep yourself safe from the harmful effects of high blood pressure, it is crucial that you keep a track of it even if you do not experience any symptoms, because damage has already been done once the symptoms start to show. Some of the outcomes of chronically high blood pressure include kidney failure, heart diseases and vision loss among various others.
Taking Control
HBP is one of those diseases that require management more than any permanent treatment. Management and control of high blood pressure requires a combination of things which are broadly categorized as ‘lifestyle changes’ and ‘medication’.
Lifestyle Changes
The most important part of lifestyle change is managing stress. Stress is the root cause of a number of diseases and can prove fatal for life in the longer run. As such, there is no way you can manage HBP without taking notice of your stress levels. To do that, you need to include few activities in your daily schedule such as regular exercise and movement, eating healthy food low in sodium contents and maintaining a reasonable sleeping schedule which gives you the minimum rest time required for adults. Also, it is extremely important that you avoid tobacco and alcohol intake as they have a monumental impact on the heart. You can start off by limiting the use and then gradually eliminating it entirely from your life.
Medication
As far as medication is concerned, the most important factor is that of time. The time at which your medication has been prescribed to you is crucial to be followed strictly as time deviations can impact whether the medication works properly or not. When you skip or delay even a single tablet, it affects the entire schedule. Also, do remember that medications work in cohesion with lifestyle changes. Therefore, in order to make the medicines work, you have to maintain a healthy lifestyle at all costs. It is an absolute necessity, one you cannot do without if you have high blood pressure.