Alcohol And High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure, which also is called hypertension, plagues millions of people in the United States. But, and this is problematic, many aren’t that educated on this issue. What causes high blood pressure? What are hypertension symptoms? How is it diagnosed? Should I be concerned about it? The goal of this piece is to provide you with answers for the sake of your health.

What is High Blood Pressure?

Blood pressure sounds more complicated that it is. It’s just the pressure the blood gives off while it moves through the arteries. Blood pressure numbers appear as a ratio. For example, take 120/80. If you’re at all familiar with blood pressure, you probably recognize the word systolic, which is represented here by 120. Despite its ominous sound, systolic is just the pressure given off as the heart pumps. The second number, 80, is diastolic. Diastolic is the opposite of systolic. It chronicles the pressure exerted between beats. High blood pressure occurs when these numbers are elevated and there’s excess pressure. 140/90 and up is considered high blood pressure.

How Can I Tell if I Have High Blood Pressure?

A major problem with diagnosing blood pressure is that there are usually few hypertension symptoms. Consequently, around 30% of people who have hypertension don’t know it. This why you must get your blood pressure measured, using validated blood pressure equipment, frequently. Fortunately, doing so is fast and doesn’t hurt. The doctor places an inflatable band over your arm. He or she pumps it up and reads the pressure from a blood pressure meter. It’s entirely possible that you’ve seen blood pressure equipment at your local pharmacist.

Is High Blood Pressure an Issue That I Should Concern Myself With?

High blood pressure can damage blood vessels. Think about water going through a fire hose. If the water pressure is too great, it can harm the hose. This can result in damaging health issues. They include strokes, heart attacks, and harm to the kidneys. High blood pressure can actually result in the end of life! That’s why you need to be not only aware of high blood pressure, but also the causes of it so you can keep your pressure in check.

What Causes High Blood Pressure?

Stress is one of several high blood pressure causes. Further, as you know, stress is an uninvited guest in the lives of many. In addition, sodium can contribute to hypertension. So can alcohol, and tobacco. Also, excessive weight gain can as well. Unfortunately, many of these high blood pressure causes come together. In other words, the same people who are overweight often also, for example, consume foods high in sodium.

As you can see, high blood pressure causes are legion. In addition, as a result of the harm hypertension can affect in your body, it should be top of mind. So get your blood pressure measured and read further for actions you can take to help lower it.

If you are battling high blood pressure there are some things you will want to know. First thing you want to understand is what the numbers mean. Your blood pressure will read with a top and bottom number. The top is your systolic pressure and the bottom number is your diastolic pressure. Normal blood pressure is 120/80 so if your blood pressure reads 130/90 you are at risk for developing high blood pressure. This reading is called prehypertension which is basically a stage before developing high blood pressure. By having your blood pressure checked and monitored often you can easily lower it where it needs to be. The best way to do this is by maintaining or adopting a healthier lifestyle. Have you always had normal blood pressure until recently? If this is the case, consider what you have recently started doing different that may have caused it to rise. Did you change your diet? Have you been exercising less? Maybe you are on a medication; some medications can cause your blood pressure to rise. If you do have high blood pressure you can easily monitor it at home if you choose. If you do this you still want to keep your regular doctor visits. You can share your own results and you can both see what is and isn’t working for you. If you are on other medications consult your doctor. Chances are one of these could be raising your blood pressure and you want to take control as soon as possible. If your blood pressure gets too high without proper treatment you are at more risk of having a stroke or heart and kidney diseases. If you have recently changed your diet you should talk to your doctor, especially if your blood pressure has risen since then. Lots of salt and sodium can cause high blood pressure and not enough fresh fruits and vegetables. If this is the case, try to limit your salt intake and get more vegetables in your diet. Also physical inactivity can be a cause for high blood pressure. Have you recently stopped doing regular every day physical activity? If so, consider starting again. You might have stopped because of an inevitable reason; broken bone, etc. If this is the case talk with your physician. Together you can find a way to still get a little bit of physical activity in your daily routine. You also want to cut off or limit your use of tobacco and alcohol consumption. Many people do not realize these cause high blood pressure. There are many over the counter medicines and even doctor prescribed medicines to help you quit smoking. There are also many different resources to help you quit drinking. If your doctor prescribes blood pressure medicine for you, you want to be sure and remember to take it. Some people are bad at remembering to take medication. There are many different ways you can help yourself remember. You take the risk of a stroke or heart disease by not taking your blood pressure medication. This should be reason enough to take your medicine, but sometimes people just forget. While it sounds like reason enough, if you are not used to taking daily medication it is rather easy to forget. If you have certain questions or concerns talk with your doctor. They will gladly answer any questions you have and do their best to get your blood pressure at a normal rate again.

Diet for High Blood Pressure

High Blood Pressure? Change Your Eating Habits

Changing the way you eat isn’t necessarily an easy thing to do but if you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, it could save your life. At the age of 42 I was diagnosed with high blood pressure and since I don’t like to take prescribed medications, I decided to monitor my own blood pressure and change my eating habits.

If a new eating plan is in the cards, you have lots of old habits to break and lots of new ones to make. Start by cutting the things you can LIVE without like fatty meats, salt, and alcohol. Then gradually add some low fat high fiber foods like beans, lean chicken breasts, and oatmeal!

Take your time. Learn to enjoy new foods. Don’t feel like you’re giving up all your favorite foods for the rest of your life…just get your medical situation under control by taking the warnings serious. Then you can enjoy, in moderation, all the foods you love the most.

Here are some eating changes I made to help lower my blood pressure (and my bad cholesterol):

1. Beans and Oatmeal. Beans are good for your heart. So try to include beans or peas in your meals at least a few times each week. I like to buy the dry beans and cook them at home as opposed to canned beans. That way I control the flavor and what goes in to the pot while eliminating all that extra salt in the canned beans. I thought I didn’t like oatmeal but actually it was the type of oatmeal I had eaten that I didn’t like. The standard type of oatmeal (in the U.S. anyway) is rolled oats which is a steamed flattened oat product. To me, it was just too mushy. So I started eating Steel Cut Oats. Fabulous! They take longer to cook but the taste is better and they are nutty with a great texture. I eat Steel Cut Oats every morning now and love them. You can get them at any health food store or larger grocer in your area.

2. Pass on the packaged food. Big problems can come in small containers. Listen. I love snack foods. But potato chips, corn chips, and crackers are killing you if you eat them regularly. Instead, try out some unsalted hard pretzels and dip them in a low/no fat product like mustard to give them additional flavor. I also eat low fat, no salt, microwave popcorn. Good fiber, some fat but it beats 99% of the other packaged snacks hands down.

3. Fried Foods. I love fried foods but I’ve taken steps to reduce my intake of just about all of them. Why fry? Any time you cook something in butter or oil, you’re adding tons of fat and needless calories. Instead of frying your meat or fish, try to bake, broil, or grill it. The same goes for vegetables. Try steaming them, roasting them, or stir-frying them in chicken broth. If you just can’t put down the frying pan, try using a nonfat cooking spray instead of oil. And if you can’t avoid oil, pick olive or canola oil, which contains healthier fats than butter.

4. Fast Food/Restaurants. As much as I love a good steak biscuit in the morning, there is very little fast food that will be beneficial in your quest to get your blood pressure down. But when in a restaurant, select salads and hold the bacon and the cheese, lean meats like fish or chicken (not fried), and deserts like jello.

5. Meat. Aaahhh…meat. I have a smoker and really enjoy throwing all types of meat in, starting it up, and feasting on ribs, pulled pork, sausage, and anything else I can get in before the door closes. But those cuts of meat need to be enjoyed in moderation and I went for a couple years eating sausage 3-4 times per week. It was good…but it wasn’t helping my health. I’ve switched out to lean chicken breast, salmon, other fish, and extra lean beef, with an occasional braised/baked lean boneless porkchop just to get my pork “fix”.

It’s ALL the small choices you make every meal, every day, that will help you get that blood pressure down. And the quicker it drops, the better off you will be and the quicker you can start to enjoy some of your old favorites..in moderation!

High blood pressure is one of those health oddities that you can have for several years and not even know you have it. So, what happens when you are diagnosed by the doctor as having high blood pressure or hypertension? To begin with, if you don’t know what your blood pressure reading is currently you should have it checked. It is so easy to do. The next time you are at Walgreen’s pharmacy, stop over and get it checked at their little booth. It’s free and it can help.

High blood pressure is nothing to play around with. Its symptoms can lead to heart disease, heart attacks, kidney failure, strokes and other medical problems.

The normal blood pressure range that is generally acceptable in the medical community is 120-130 over 80-85. But this is just a general guideline and may not apply in all cases. For example, an African-American would have a lower limit in order to be considered normal.

What happens when you are first diagnosed with hypertension?

In most cases your doctor will try and get your blood pressure controlled with lifestyle changes. Things like a better diet regular exercise and eliminating alcohol or tobacco use. Or at least dramatically reduce its use.

In some cases your blood pressure may be so high that other treatment options will also need to be used. This means that you could be put on high blood pressure medication immediately to get it brought down to a normal level.

There are several types of anti-hypertension medications available. Your doctor will take your current health conditions into account in putting you on one of these drugs. The doctor will then monitor you for how well the medicine is working as well as any side effects. You may need to go on a different medication if one is not working right.

In many cases just by making lifestyle changes can bring blood pressure levels back down to normal. But don’t feel bad if you find you still need medicine to help reduce these levels. The important thing is that you get the treatment in controlling the problem. It is completely painless and it will certainly add many more years to your life.