Check your blood pressure before you wreck your blood pressure

It’s pretty common knowledge that abnormal blood pressure isn’t good, so how can we keep our blood pressure in the acceptable range?

“Normal blood pressure is vital to life,” according to Medical News Today. “Without the pressure that forces our blood to flow around the circulatory system, no oxygen or nutrients would be delivered through our arteries to the tissues and organs. However, blood pressure can become dangerously high, and it can also get too low.”

High Blood Pressure

Web MD says that “high blood pressure, also called hypertension, is dangerous because it makes the heart work harder to pump blood out to the body and contributes to hardening of the arteries, or atherosclerosis, to stroke, kidney disease, and to heart failure.” It is important to work on lowering it so your health doesn’t pay the price.

If your blood pressure is 130/80 (130 over 80) or higher you have a blood pressure that is above what is considered normal. You can discuss with your doctor how you might lower it. Also, be sure to explore these treatment options from the Joint National Committee :

Maintain normal body weight
Adopt a DASH eating plan, which is a diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products with a reduced content of dietary cholesterol as well as saturated and total fat
Reduce consumption of sodium
Exercise regularly
Limit alcohol consumption

Adopting these lifestyle changes help to lower blood pressure, prevent it from getting too high, and reduce the risk of developing other health problems in the future.

By looking at some of the causes of high blood pressure, you can see what you may have to adjust to make sure your blood pressure is normal. Some causes are:

Smoking
Being overweight or obese
Lack of physical activity
Too much salt in the diet
Too much alcohol consumption (more than 1 to 2 drinks per day)
Stress
Older age
Genetics
Family history of high blood pressure
Chronic kidney disease
Adrenal and thyroid disorders
Sleep apnea

These symptoms contribute to your chances of having high blood pressure. If you have some of these, be sure you take extra precautions in your day-to-day life.

Low Blood Pressure

According to Mayo Clinic, “abnormally low blood pressure (hypotension) can cause dizziness and fainting. In severe cases, low blood pressure can be life-threatening.” A blood pressure reading lower than 90/60 is generally considered low blood pressure.

Symptoms of low blood pressure include:

Dizziness or lightheadedness
Fainting
Blurred or fading vision
Nausea
Fatigue
Lack of concentration
Shock

Some people have a lower blood pressure and don’t experience any symptoms at all, so it is necessary to get a doctor’s opinion. Low blood pressure may be caused by an underlying condition like pregnancy, heart problems, endocrine problems, dehydration, blood loss, infection, an allergic reaction, or lack of nutrients. Medications can also cause low blood pressure.

Treating low blood pressure really depends on the cause but some ways you can try to raise your blood pressure are:

Using more salt
Drinking more water
Wearing compression socks

The Nitty-gritty

Maintaining normal blood pressure is important. Having abnormal blood pressure can severely damage our health and quality of life. Assess your lifestyle in order to determine if you are at risk for high or low blood pressure. Be sure to exercise regularly and eat a healthy diet to reduce your chances of having unsafe blood pressure.

Sources

https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/270644

https://www.webmd.com/hypertension-high-blood-pressure/guide/blood-pressure-causes#2

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/low-blood-pressure/symptoms-causes/syc-20355465

https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/full/10.1161/01.hyp.0000107251.49515.c2

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/low-blood-pressure/diagnosis-treatment/drc-20355470