Saffola Life - Keep Your Heart young

What your doctor is talking about are the blood pressure values which normally have two numbers, a numerator and a denominator. The number in the numerator is the ‘systolic blood pressure’ while that in the denominator is the ‘diastolic blood pressure’. So, for example, in a reading of 110/80 mmHg, 110 is the ‘systolic blood pressure’ and 80 is the ‘diastolic blood pressure’. To explain it in simple terms, systolic pressure is amount of pressure exerted against the walls of the artery as your heart contracts, while diastolic pressure is that which is exerted when the heart relaxes.

It is hard to put a finger on the exact causes of hypertension because there doesn’t seem to be just one causative factor. However, years of medical study has recognized some causes of high blood pressure such as stress, high intake of cholesterol, obesity, high alcohol intake, low physical activity, in addition to non changeable factors such as age and a family history of illness.

The fact that you don’t suffer from high pressure probably means that you’re taking good care of your health. But as we age, our chances of susceptibility to illnesses also increases. Hence, a lifestyle modification becomes essential to keep our body in check. Some of the things you can do regularly are keeping your weight in check, eating a balanced diet with lots of fruits, exercising and giving up on harmful habits such as smoking and excess alcohol.

The ideal blood pressure value is believed to be 120/80 mmHg.

Although hypertension doesn’t have any overtly obvious symptoms (and hence called the ‘killer disease’) some indications you can look out for are dizziness, frequent headaches, bleeding from the nose, breathlessness etc.

If you’re suffering from high blood pressure, pay special attention to your diet as it can go a long way in curbing your illness. Make sure to reduce the intake of salt; include more vegetables, whole grain products, fruits, and low-fat dairy foods in your diet.

What you have asked is absolutely true. There is some medication (not necessarily those meant for blood pressure) that can increase your blood pressure and hence not work in your favor; especially those falling in the categories of corticosteroids, medicines which relieve pain (such as ibuprofen), some hormones, etc. So keep a look out for medicines such as those by informing your doctor about your condition.

Many a time when blood pressure measurements are taken, a person’s blood pressure reading may appear to be high in a doctor’s office while it is normal reading while taken at home. This is a condition that is called ‘white coat hypertension’, the primary cause of which appears to be the patient’s high level of anxiety while at the doctor’s office.

Ideally, blood pressure measurement should always be taken by a medical professional. However, in the case where you are a sufferer, you can keep an instrument with you at home and learn how to measure your own blood pressure. For this same reason, there are automatic blood pressure machines that are handy and extremely user-friendly.

Indeed. Prolonged or very high blood pressure can cause ruptures or sometimes blockage of the blood vessels in the brain, leading to the development of strokes. In fact, high blood pressure is one single important risk factor for stroke development.