What Is Hypertension?

Hypertension is also called high blood pressure (HBP), and it is the excessive unleashing of blood from the heart to the walls of the blood vessel. Hypertension can be a result of some terminal diseases – diabetes, for example, and it can also result in other terminal diseases, like heart failure, kidney problems, stroke, and paralysis. Learning about how the heart works can provide us a further understanding of hypertension.

How Does the Heart Work?

To continue living and functioning correctly, the body needs oxidized blood. Each organ in the body gets the oxygenated blood from the circulatory system, which are tributaries of nerves distributing blood to different parts of the body. At the center of the circulatory system is the heart, which supplies all the nerves and arteries blood containing all needed nutrients for the body to function and live.

The following four chambers make up the heart:

• Right atrium: The veins send blood to the right atrium, which pushes the blood to the right ventricle.

• Right ventricle: The chamber of the heart receives blood from the right atrium and sends it to the lung for oxidation.

• Left atrium: Once the lung oxidizes the blood, it pumps to the left ventricle.

• Left ventricle: This area of the heart sends the oxidized blood to the heart muscle that pumps to various arteries for usage by different parts of the body.

Hypertension sets in when the blood muscles push blood faster and in a larger quantity than it should. The consequence of this is that the muscles weaken and other symptoms set in.

Types of Hypertension

Based on the causes, hypertension is categorized into two types: primary and secondary.

Primary Hypertension

Hypertension, as such, is not traceable to a particular cause, and it’s common among most hypertensive patients. Perhaps this is why it’s also referred to as essential hypertension. As mentioned earlier, it’s quite different to trace the causes of primary hypertension. The condition has been linked to some general causes.

Causes of Primary Hypertension

• Genes: If your parents, grandparents, or any member of your family had or has hypertension, then you may be at risk. This is because the condition is hereditary.

• Environment: Your work environment shapes the pattern of life you live. If your work doesn’t provide room for physical exercise and you consume too much processed food, it’s possible to become obese. And obesity is only a stone’s throw away from hypertension.

• Physical Changes: It’s imperative to take your physical health seriously and carefully observe any changes in your body. There’s a possible occurrence of hypertensive symptoms if an unhealthy change occurs in any of your organs, especially the kidney, resulting in hypertension.

Secondary Hypertension and Causes

This is a severe type of hypertension that occurs far earlier than the primary or essential type. Many harsh health conditions have been linked to hypertension. Some of those that cause secondary hypertension are kidney disease, sleep apnea, a thyroid condition, drug abuse, endocrinal tumors, and thyroid complications.

Symptoms of Hypertension

It takes quite a while before the symptoms of high blood pressure come to the surface, and by the time a person starts seeing the signs of the condition, death might be imminent. When it is severe, the symptoms of hypertension can range from constant headaches, hemorrhage, chest pain, and dizziness to urination of blood. It’s crucial to continually read your blood pressure, as it is mostly free and accessible.

How to Prevent Hypertension

Prevention is the best. You don’t want to start seeking ways of curing hypertension instead of preventing at the right time. In fact, when you prevent high blood pressure, you’re on the right track to avoiding the possibility of other diseases associated with hypertension.

• Maintain a Healthy Weight: Being underweight is bad, but being overweight is worse and can sometimes cause high blood pressure. Your weight mostly depends on what you eat. If you consume beer, red meat, and junk in large quantities, you shouldn’t expect to have the same weight as people who take less of them. However, it’s best to see your doctor to educate you on your weight. When you maintain a healthy weight, you’re less likely to suffer from hypertension.

• Eat a Balanced Diet: Your diet says a lot about your physical and mental health. Eating a balanced diet, fresh vegetables, and less junk provides your body with strength to combat strange elements. Lots of vegetables and fruit especially perform blood pressure regulatory duties in the body.

• Constant Exercise: Constantly exercising your body helps to burn calories, which could have gathered and led to some terminal diseases, including hypertension. You can devote 30 minutes of your 24 hours to exercising and expect a great result.

• Reduce Alcohol: Excessive alcoholism can engender hypertension. If you want to prevent it, reduce the rate of alcohol you consume and get your blood pressure regulated. Apart from hypertension, alcoholism can give you kidney problems. It is also an excellent way to waste lots of money that you should have saved for other purposes.

• Reduce Salt Intake: Taking too much salt doesn’t portend anything useful, except for the possible occurrence of hypertension. A preventive measure against the risk of hypertension is reducing how much salt you take.

Hypertension doesn’t take too much time to kill. First, know how your heart functions and what it needs to continue to function correctly. You have to distinguish between what to eat and what to avoid, especially if you have a history of hypertension in your family. Note that often symptoms of hypertension don’t surface until it’s on the verge of fatality. Consequently, you should check your blood pressure with your doctor whenever you consult them.