IS HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE DANGEROUS FOR YOUR HEART?

What is blood pressure?

Blood pressure is the pressure of the circulating blood on the walls of the blood vessels. Hypertension or high blood pressure is when this pressure of the blood on the artery walls is consistently high. The heart pumps out oxygenated blood to the rest of the body to help it function. Systolic pressure is the pressure inside the artery when the heart pumps out blood to the rest of the body. Diastolic pressure is the pressure inside the artery when the heart rests between beats.

High blood pressure damages the heart by:

  • Making the heart work harder to counteract the increased pressure in the arteries.

  • This increased pressure also injures the delicate inner lining of the arteries, making it open to the development of plaque, which is the beginning of atherosclerosis. This can lead to a heart attack or stroke.

  • The elevated blood pressure and the narrowing of the arteries brings about a vicious cycle of damage to the heart and blood vessels.

  • The increased work of the heart leads to its thickening or enlargement and makes it less efficient and eventual heart failure.

Who is at risk for high blood pressure?

  • Adult men

  • Women after menopause

  • Middle aged and older adults

  • People with diabetes, gout or kidney disease

  • Family history of hypertension

  • Consumers of high salt diet

  • Overweight and obese persons

  • Depressed individuals

  • Women on birth control pills

  • High alcohol users

  • Sedentary individuals

How can you control blood pressure?

  • Taking medications prescribed by your doctor

  • Increasing physical activity

  • Maintaining a healthy weight or losing weight if overweight/obese

  • Consuming a low salt diet

  • Consuming low fat and low calorie foods

  • Consuming high fiber foods

  • Limiting or removing alcohol from your diet

Following the DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) is a good way to get better control of your high blood pressure. Make sure that you are under the care of a doctor if you do have high blood pressure.

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Check out my post about Diabetes and your health.

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 “Journey to Health with Priya” provides general educational information on various topics on this website as a public service, which should not be construed as professional medical advice.