High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure is often thought of as a silent killer because it can pave the way for heart attacks, strokes and kidney failure without any warning signs. People live their lives without ever realizing they're harboring something that's liable to either kill or physically disable them at any minute.
The higher your blood pressure, the higher your risk of heart disease and stroke. Someone with a blood pressure of 120/80 mmHg is at greater risk than someone with a blood pressure of 110/70 mmHg. It's as simple as that. This can impact your heart because when the heart is forced to work hard for an extended period of time, it tends to enlarge. A slightly enlarged heart can function well, but a significantly enlarged heart cannot.
Studies have demonstrated that weight gain is related to a significant rise in systolic and diastolic blood pressure. One of the reasons is that fat requires an adequate supply of blood and each and every pound of extra fat within the body increases the total length of the small blood vessels by around one mile. Fortunately, the loss of extra weight can result in a significant reduction in high blood pressure. It can also help control high blood pressure from developing in overweight people who currently have normal blood pressure.
Salt intake is another factor which requires close monitoring. Research into salt intake and hypertension has shown that moderate and severe hypertension seem to get better if the patient is on a salt-restricted diet. The effects of this on mild hypertension are inconclusive, however health care professionals still insist it's better to be safe than sorry, and salt should either be reduced or excluded from the diet altogether.
In the interests of safety, therefore, it's advisable to reduce your salt intake in order to help control your high blood pressure. This can be achieved in two ways:
a) by using a potassium rich substitute
b) not adding any more salt to food.
Exercise is another consideration. Many of us live sedentary lifestyles that rarely provide us with the exercise we need. Exercise doesn't have to be strenuous. You don't have to join the gym. But small steps, such as going for a brisk walk three times a week for thirty minutes improves the metabolism and helps reduce both excessive weight and high blood pressure.
The good news is that high blood pressure can be treated. Mild cases of high blood pressure can be treated with behavior modifications such as diet changes, increased exercise, weight loss, etc. More severe cases may require diuretics and beta blockers.
Free Report
Blood Pressue Health - a free report detailing everything you need to know to understand your blood pressure, including symptoms of high blood pressure, how to take your blood pressure, common medications for high blood pressure, and more. To get your free copy, simply click on the image:
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