Do you know why your blood pressure levels shoots up? What are the associated symptoms? How do you combat high blood pressure symptoms and related problems? To understand all the factors responsible for causing high blood pressure, read this article and learn the tackling hacks.
Raise in the levels of blood pressure is a common health condition, which majorly results from stress and other factors. What happens inside your body that causes your blood pressure level to spike up? During high blood pressure, blood exerts a prolonged and increased force on the walls of your arteries. Such an amplified force of blood on arterial walls can cause serious damage to your heart and other health problems.
To learn about high blood pressure symptoms, you need to understand how blood circulation occurs within the vessels. What are the two basic factors on which your blood flow depends? Firstly, on how much blood your heart pumps at regular intervals. Secondly, on how much resistance the artery walls apply on the blood flow.
When your heart pushes out more blood, while the artery walls start getting narrower- it causes high blood pressure. To make it easier for you to understand, you can put the theory in a simpler way. Blood pressure rises when your arterial walls puts too much resistance on the higher load of blood flow within them.
There is another surprising fact about blood pressure levels. For years, you may not even come across any high blood pressure symptoms despite suffering from it. In spite of not having any symptoms, your blood vessels keep facing damage and your heart functioning is threatened. However, regular checkups can help detect any irregularity in your blood pressure levels. Any kind of ignorance in such cases can eventually lead to premature strokes and heart attacks.
Another common term for high blood pressure is hypertension. From the name itself, you can guess the major reason behind blood pressure shooting up. Yes, you guessed it right. The ground level factor responsible for high blood pressure is stress and anxiety. When you are too tensed or worried about something, it results in triggering your blood pressure- causing hypertension.
What are the driving factors for high blood pressure?
When you are studying about high blood pressure symptoms and causes, you will come across two basic factors:
1. Primary or essential type of hypertension
There is no specific identifiable reason behind the occurrence of primary hypertension. This kind of hypertension is quite common. Researchers have performed studies, where there has been no conclusion to why blood pressure gradually rises in the primary case. However, there are certain factors that may contribute to primary hypertension:
- Genetic factors- Sometimes your genes can be your friend, as well as your enemy. Primary hypertension can happen through genetic predisposition. In simpler words, you become more prone to high blood pressure symptoms if the same dwells in your family. If your parents or grandparents have hypertension issues, you have a chance to get them too through genes. You can call this a ‘hereditary curse’ that is bringing you no fortune. You can inherit high blood pressure symptoms, if there is any genetic abnormality or mutation running in your family.
- Environmental factors- Your lifestyle reflects a lot on your health. If you have no proper diet rules or physical activity, it may take a negative toll on your wellbeing. Leading an unhealthy routine is not an option at all. Immediately alter your lifestyle with healthy foods and exercises. Obesity and too much stress can also result in primary hypertension. Reduce the consumption of alcohol and smoking to keep away from high blood pressure symptoms.
- Physical factors- When there is a slight change in your body, you will start experiencing overall body function disruption. Similarly, hypertension can also disrupt a number of other body functioning. For example, aging can alter kidney functions that may in turn disrupt your water and salt balance. Such a change in your normal body functioning can give rise to high blood pressure as well.
2. Secondary hypertension
This is an acute phase of hypertension occurring very quickly, and can be more dangerous than primary hypertension. Some of the serious conditions of secondary hypertension include:
- OSA or obstructive sleep apnea- happens when you stop breathing at frequent intervals in your sleep.
- Problems of adrenal glands
- Kidney disorders
- Thyroid gland dysfunction
- Chronic abuse of alcohol consumption
- Congenital heart problems- may affect your heart valves, heart walls and blood vessels
- Illegal drug usage
- Certain types of endocrine tumors
- Adverse effects of some medications
What does your blood pressure chart say?
Are you keen to know normal blood pressure for men? What is the average blood pressure for men? To learn basic information about normal bp for men and in which range you fall, follow the AHA chart. AHA is American Heart Association.
When doctors check your blood pressure, they measure it in mm Hg (millimeters of mercury). There are two types of phases in blood pressure measuring. One is systolic and another is diastolic.
- Systolic blood pressure is symbolic of the pressure that the artery exerts on your blood, during contraction of heart valves. It marks the upper number of your blood pressure measurement.
- Diastolic blood pressure is symbolic of the pressure that the blood exerts on the artery walls during relaxation of heart valves. It marks the lower number of the blood pressure measurement.
What is the normal male blood pressure?
Maintaining normal blood pressure is extremely vital when it comes to running a healthy lifestyle. If there is no pressure, blood will not flow in the circulatory system throughout your body. What will happens if there is no blood circulation? There will be no exchange of oxygen and vital nutrients through your arteries. The entire process of nutrient and oxygen and transportation to organs and tissues will stop.
Generally, you measure normal male blood pressure on a digital dial or an electronic pump dial. The normal bp for men and women should have a systolic reading of 120 mm Hg and diastolic reading of 80 mm Hg. To maintain this average blood pressure for men, you need to follow a proper diet chart and healthy routine.
When there is any up and down in the normal blood pressure for men, you become a victim of high blood pressure. The given information below on the normal bp for men and subsequent variations will help you understand things better.
- Normal male blood pressure range- systolic: 120 mm Hg, diastolic: 80 mm Hg.
- Raised blood pressure (hypertension) – systolic: 120-129 mm Hg, diastolic: below 80 mm Hg.
- Hypertension phase 1- systolic: 130-139 mm Hg, diastolic: 80-90 mm Hg.
- Hypertension phase 2- systolic: 140 mm Hg and above, diastolic: 90 mm Hg and above.
- Hypertensive crisis phase- systolic: beyond 180 mm Hg, diastolic: beyond 120 mm Hg.
What are the common high blood pressure symptoms?
Hypertension or high blood pressure is a ‘silent killer’, since you often fail to detect its symptoms in initial stages. High blood pressure symptoms become noticeable when things have already started to turn ugly.
Hypertensive crisis stage is extremely dangerous and requires immediate medical attention. Some common symptoms of hypertensive crisis include:
- Puking
- Nose bleeding
- Dizziness
- Nausea
- Headache
- Double or blurry eye sight
- Increased palpitations in heart
- Loss of breath
High blood pressure symptoms in females
There are certain hormonal factors that decide the potential risk of hypertension in males and females. Some issues that influences the raise of blood pressure level in women are:
- Menopause- stopping of your menstrual cycle
- Pregnancy
- Using abortion pills or birth regulating medications
At the time of pregnancy, acute hypertension can give rise to preeclampsia. This condition can pose serious threat to the health of both mother and the unborn child. Common signs of preeclampsia are:
- Changes in vision
- Edema resulting in swelling
- Headache
- Severe pain in the abdomen
You need to go for screening and related health checkups to see if you have preeclampsia from hypertension or not.
High blood pressure symptoms in teenagers
The problems with teens is that the level of healthy routine is very low and fluctuating. One major problem associated with high blood pressure is obesity. There are also chances of an underlying health factor that has the potential to trigger your blood pressure levels. Some of the medical reasons behind hypertension in teens can be:
- A kidney disorder
- Any neurological issue
- Certain facets of metabolic disorders like type 2 diabetes
- Vascular diseases affecting functioning of blood vessels
- Endocrine diseases affecting the secretions of various hormones
High blood pressure symptoms in children
Some medical conditions such as type 2 diabetes and obesity can cause hypertension in children as well. However, there can be other signs involved like:
- Genetic disorders like Cushing’s syndrome
- Tumor formation
- Thyroid issues
- Kidney problems
- Serious heart conditions, which may or may not be congenital
Children do not fight with high blood pressure symptoms as in adults, although there can be exceptions to-
- Blurry vision
- Headache
- Bleeding from nose
- Fatigue
High blood pressure symptoms in infants
Newborn babies or infants can also develop serious symptoms related to high blood pressure such as:
- Any underlying medical issue that may be congenital
- Failure to grow well and healthy
- Respiratory disorders
- Frequent seizures
- Fatigue
- Irritability
What medications to take for bringing down high blood pressure?
The mode of treating hypertension depends on two basic parameters-
- To what extent has your blood pressure risen
- How much risk do you have of a cardiac arrest or heart attack
On knowing the outcomes to the above parameters, your doctor will prescribe you the associated medicine for the same.
Some of the conventional medications to treat high blood pressure include:
ACE (angiotensin converting enzyme) inhibitors
Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors aid in the blocking of certain hormones responsible for raising your blood pressure. Angiotensin II is one such hormone that promotes contraction of arteries, forcing the blood volume to increase. Such an action is directly accountable for increased blood pressure levels.
There are some preventive measures as well while taking ACE-inhibiting drugs. Do not take it if you are pregnant, or suffering from a medical condition of insufficient blood transportation to kidneys.
In cases where you come across health hazards from ACE inhibitors, your doctor may prescribe an alternative drug. The other medication is angiotensin II receptor antagonist. Some side effects of ACE inhibitors are:
- Constant dry cough
- Headache
- Fatigue
- Dizziness
- Weakness
Blockers of calcium channels
CCBs or calcium channel blockers brings down calcium levels in your blood vessels. Lowered calcium levels promotes relaxation of vascular tissues, causing muscle contraction in a less forceful manner. This will help the arterial walls to open wider, easing the flow of blood and reducing blood pressure.
If you have a circulatory, liver or heart disease, then CCBs are not suitable for you. CCBs can have some mild side effects, otherwise it is quite safe to administer under doctor’s guidance.
Thiazide diuretics
These medications aids in removing excess water and sodium from your kidneys to ease its functioning. Such an action in turn lowers your blood pressure and volume. Some of the potential side effects of thiazide diuretics can be:
- Erectile dysfunction
- Glucose tolerance ability may reduce
- Low level of potassium in blood, which can result in kidney and heart disorders
Beta-blockers
Studies have shown that beta-blockers can decrease heartbeat tension and rate, thereby lowering blood pressure. Doctors often prescribe beta-blockers in cases of hypertensive crisis. Few side effects of beta-blockers include:
- Nausea
- Insomnia
- Dizziness
- Lower rate of heartbeat
- Fatigue
- Feet and hands turning cold
- Erectile dysfunction
What home remedies to try for reducing high blood pressure?
According to AHA, a large portion of managing high blood pressure symptoms depends on your lifestyle and eating habits. Ensure you perform regular physical exercise, quit smoking, eat a proper diet and tactfully manage stress.
Extreme levels of anxiety can interfere with your sleeping cycles and digestion, alongside blood pressure levels. Manage stress by doing yoga, tai chi or meditation. Try to keep yourself and poised to fight hypertension.
