High blood pressure can have far-reaching consequences, it is called the “silent killer” a bit like heart disease you may not know that you have it until it’s too late. It’s important to know what signs of high blood pressure are.
High blood pressure is also known by the medical term hypertension, the definition of high blood pressure/hypertension is a sustained blood pressure reading of 140/90 mmHg or above, most medical people would agree that normal blood pressure for a normal healthy person is close to 120/80 mmHg or less than 130/80 MMHG.
Blood pressure definition
The definition of blood pressure is the volume or amount of pressure that is applied or exerted on the arterial walls as the blood passes through them. Blood pressure is measured in mmHg or millimeters of mercury, two measurements are taken systolic and diastolic.
Systolic: The measurement of blood pressure applied/exerted after the heart beats pushing blood throughout the body.
Diastolic: The measurement of blood pressure after the heart is resting in between a heartbeat.
Both measurements are taken in millimeters of mercury or mmHg, the first figure that you get is the systolic blood pressure figure followed by the diastolic blood pressure.
If you have a reading of 120/80 MMHG it means that your systolic blood pressure is 120 mmHg and your diastolic blood pressure is 80 mmHg. Watch for the signs of high blood pressure.
The heart muscles
Your heart is simply a muscle designed to continually pump blood around your body, your body needs an adequate supply of oxygen-rich blood, nutrients, hormones, and carbon dioxide going to the various systems such as:
- The immune system
- Digestive
- Endocrine
- Muscular
- Lymphatic
- Reproductive
- Skeletal
- Reproductive
- Integumentary
- Urinary
Our bodies contain five vital organs that are necessary to survive, and they are:
Heart, Brain, Liver, Kidneys, Lungs
Symptoms of high blood pressure
Very often there are no symptoms associated with high blood pressure, but it is a good idea to get your blood pressure checked regularly either at your doctor’s or at home. If you have high blood pressure without any symptoms this may happen:
- high blood pressure can cause damage to your kidneys
- damage to your heart
- damage to your eyes
- High blood pressure affects blood circulation
Underlying medical condition
Those with an underlying medical condition may have further complications like:
- Shortness of breath
- Blurred vision
- Headache
- Dizziness
The repercussions of high blood pressure will depend on how severe it is and the length of time you have had it, allied to any underlying medical condition that can cause shortness of breath, chest pain, or a heart attack. High blood pressure can cause loss of vision, it can have a major impact on blood circulation causing leg pain when walking.
Early detection
The good news is if detected early blood pressure can be treated and checked to avoid any serious consequences.
What impact does high blood pressure have?
High blood pressure is a major influence in the development of cardiovascular diseases like:
Heart attack: Caused by a cut off in blood supply to the heart
Coronary heart disease: Caused by plaque build-up in the coronary arteries
Stroke: Caused by a lack of blood supply to the brain
Diabetes & kidney disease are connected to high blood pressure
High blood pressure treatment & prevention
You can manage and control high blood pressure with some simple lifestyle changes like:
Regular exercise
Eat healthy food
Drink less alcohol
Medications that lower high blood pressure
Depending on your blood pressure reading your doctor may prescribe some medication to lower it,
Ace inhibitors popular ones are Lisinopril, Ramipril, and Enalapril, these are designed to relax blood vessels.
Angiotensin II receptor blockers popular ones are Valsartan & Losartan, these are designed to block the action of angiotensin (it narrows blood vessels)
Calcium channel blockers most prescribed are Diltiazem, nifedipine, and amlodipine, these stop calcium from going into the heart allowing cells to relax.
Beta-blockers: Other commonly prescribed medications for high blood pressure, popular ones are Nadolol, Atenolol, and Metoprolol, these block the effect of hormone epinephrine, which makes your heart beat faster however these beta blockers slow down the heart rate.
Find which method works for you
It’s impossible to know which medication will work for you, you may have to try several different blood pressure medications before you find one that will work for you.
You can help your doctor by checking your blood pressure at home more frequently, blood pressure monitors for home use are reasonably inexpensive and easy to buy, you can read my blood pressure monitor review here.
Recording regular blood pressure readings will help with your treatment program, just remember a home blood pressure monitor isn’t a replacement for a visit to your doctor.
In 9 out of 10 cases a mixture of medication and changes to your lifestyle should do the trick in bringing down your blood pressure, it does take effort and time to find the correct combination of treatments to keep control, but the health benefits are worth the effort in terms of a healthier longer life.
More about Advanced Blood Pressure Formula
Advanced Blood Pressure Formula is a dietary supplement made by Advanced Bionutritionals. According to the company, this supplement is designed to support healthy blood pressure levels and cardiovascular health. However, it is important to note that dietary supplements are not regulated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the same way that medications are, and the effectiveness and safety of these products can vary widely.
The main active ingredients in Advanced Blood Pressure Formula are a blend of herbs and nutrients, including hawthorn, garlic, magnesium, and coenzyme Q10. These ingredients are thought to have potential health benefits, including the ability to support healthy blood pressure levels.
However, the evidence to support the use of these ingredients for the treatment of high blood pressure is limited. While some studies have suggested that certain herbs and nutrients may have blood pressure-lowering effects, more research is needed to confirm these findings and determine the optimal dosage and long-term safety of these substances.
It is important to note that taking a dietary supplement is not a substitute for medical treatment for high blood pressure. If you have high blood pressure, it is important to work with your healthcare provider to develop a treatment plan that is appropriate for you. This may include lifestyle changes, such as eating a healthy diet and exercising regularly, and medications to control your blood pressure.
Before taking any dietary supplement, it is important to speak with your healthcare provider to discuss the potential risks and benefits. They can help you make an informed decision about whether a particular supplement is safe and appropriate for you.
Hi Nate,
A healthy diet is a very important part of the plan to keep blood pressure under control, have you looked at his diet?
all the best
Fintan
Hu Johnny,
Thanks for your comment, not knowing the cause of your pain can be disturbing if it is muscular can I recommend Serrapeptase a natural anti-inflammatory it has worked very well for me.
all the best
Fintan
Dear Fintan D,
This article was very helpful and informative to me. I recently had some symptoms that scared me. I though it was my heart because my arm got numb, I was having chest pains, and shortness of breath. I went to the ER and every test came back negative.
My Dr thought it was a slipped disc in my neck, but that also came back negative and I am still having these pains. Do you think it could be a pulled muscle in my chest wall? Its very uneasy not knowing what is wrong.
I might invest in a heart monitor myself, thanks again for this post,
-Johnny Z
Hi,
Thanks for sharing, my Dad has recently been advised by his doctor that he has slightly high blood pressure if possible we’d like to try and control it without medication. What would you say are the main causes of so we know what types of things to avoid? Drinking less is certainly something we’ve identified and is being put in to action, as is getting more regular exercise, is there anything else preventative you can recommend?
There’s some very valuable information here! As far as my health goes, I used to always wonder about my blood pressure. However, each time I’d get it checked, it was almost always low. Nowadays, I’d say it’s usually in the low-to-normal range. My mother, however, has somewhat higher blood pressure. It’s interesting to read all this, because I’d never looked into it enough to learn everything you’ve included here. Thanks so much for sharing!
Hi there, I really loved your article. I work in the medical niche (I’m a pharmacist), so I’m pretty familiar with blood pressure medication. But I also have my mom suffering from high blood pressure, despite being under 60, slim, not a smoker or drinker. So even though these are risk factors, they’re not a must. She’s following a treatment with ace inhibitors and diuretics, which seems really helpful so far. But she also plans going to gym or just moving around, as she had the bad habit of sitting down a really long time throughout the day. Thanks a lot for reminding me of these tips, I will surely have her read this article and get her learn these recommendations by heart, maybe she follows them in this way.