Imagine this; after months and months of nagging from your
wife (Men generally feel too macho for regular health checks!) you finally drag
yourself to the doctor and undertake a medical. The doctor looks at you and says
“you have hypertension” what would you feel? Shock, fear or confusion?
You would probably feel a mix of all three, and you are not
alone. It is estimated that at least 30% of adults suffer from persistent high
blood pressure which leads to hypertension. This means your chances of
suffering from this are pretty high, and it gets better as hypertension
symptoms are not easy to spot and you might have it for years without knowing! If
this condition is left untreated, it can be potentially fatal.
Now, you might be wondering is he trying to scare me. The short
answer is yes! I hope that you read this get scared and get tested to know your
blood pressure. This is very personal to me as I have recently experienced the
death of someone close to my family who had been diagnosed with high blood
pressure. Typical for us Nigerians he didn’t take it too seriously would rather
take “agbo” than his medications and was in bad physical shape. He had a stroke
in February, and was paralyzed on the left side of his body. Unfortunately he never
recovered and died from a second stroke a month later. He leaves behind a wife
and three little children.
This could have been you. Read this piece, act on it and I promise
you that this will not be you. If you read this, you will find out the causes
and effects of hypertension and how you can avoid it, if you act on the
knowledge, I promise you will not have to live in fear of hypertension.
Do read this, pass it on to anyone you know over the age of
35 and together we can beat hypertension.
Do have a wonderful day.
WHAT IS HYPERTENSION? :
It is having blood pressure that is persistently high e.g. from
a period of weeks to months. Ideally your blood pressure should not read higher
than 120/80 mmHg. Blood pressure does not stay constant and rises and falls throughout
the day as you face life’s challenges. However if these numbers start to rise
and stay high even when you are at rest then you should be alarmed. If your
blood pressure is consistently above 140/90 then you can be said to suffer from
hypertension. This causes your heart to work harder to pump blood through your arteries.
Hypertension is generally symptomless, though some people may experience
headaches and lightheadedness but it might not be as a direct result.
WHAT CAUSES HYPERTENSION? :
Hypertension (high blood pressure) can be caused by many
factors and they include;
·
A diet high in salt
·
Being overweight or obese can raise the risk of high
blood pressure and hypertension
·
Being physically inactive can increase the risk
of developing high blood pressure
·
Excessive alcohol consumption has been shown to
significantly raise blood pressure over time
·
A family history of high blood pressure and
hypertension is a strong indicator of also developing the same condition.
·
Your race also a factor, as black people seem to
be more disposed to developing high blood pressure.
·
Age: people over the age of 35 have a higher
risk of developing this condition and the older you
are the higher your risk.
·
Smoking is a strong cause of high blood
pressure; another reason to quit!
·
Diabetes is a major risk factor that can lead to
hypertension. Having diabetes actually doubles the risk of developing high
blood pressure. Also, people who have diabetes and hypertension have four times
the risk of developing heart disease than someone without either.
WHAT ARE THE EFFECTS OF HYPERTENSION? :
·
HEART DISEASE:
Hypertension places a lot of strain on the
heart as it struggles to pump blood through the arteries and this can lead to
heart disease and even cardiac failure and arrest in the long run.
·
STROKE:
A stroke is a sudden interruption of the
blood supply to the brain. This is a very serious condition caused by excessive
pressure in the blood vessels in the brain, leading to either a blockage or a
rupturing of blood vessels in the brain. This can cause internal bleeding in
the brain or oxygen starvation. Stroke can cause temporary or permanent disability
and in severe cases can lead to death if there is no immediate medical
attention.
·
Hypertension can also lead to chronic kidney disease
and erectile dysfunction
HOW TO AVOID HYPERTENSION:
The good news is that while factors like
race and heredity play an important role in whether one develops hypertension
or not, the greater number of causal factors is within our control. The
following measures are invaluable in fighting off high blood pressure:
1.
REDUCE YOUR SALT INTAKE:
Sodium causes your body to retain fluids, this
raises your blood volume and gives your heart more work to do pumping blood, and
this causes your blood pressure to go up. Limit your added salt intake to the
barest minimum as I know it cannot be totally eliminated. Canned and preserved
foods like, sausages, sardines, bacon, corned beef should be avoided as much as
possible, and they contain inhuman amounts of salt.
2.
LIMIT YOUR COFFEE INTAKE:
Caffeine is a stimulant to the nervous
system and as such it makes the blood pump faster giving us that lovely buzz. Unfortunately
caffeine will also raise blood pressure in the process and this can push a
person with high blood pressure over the edge to hypertension. My suggestion is
to limit coffee to one cup every other day if you cannot eliminate it from your
diet.
3.
QUIT SMOKING:
The stimulants in nicotine cigarettes
create a buzz by raising your blood pressure. If you quit smoking you not only
lower your risk of developing hypertension, you also get the bonus of lowering
your risk of developing cancer.
4.
DROP SOME WEIGHT:
If you are overweight your heart has to
compensate by working harder to circulate blood through the extra fat. A consequence
of this is elevated blood pressure. The good part is if you lose just 10%
percent of your body weight you will feel lighter and your numbers will come
down dramatically
.
5.
EXERCISE:
This is related to losing weight, you can
have high blood pressure without being fat, so don’t feel smug if you are a skinny
person reading this! One of the great benefits of regular exercise both with
weights and cardio like jogging, swimming etc is that it helps the heart work
more efficiently and thus lowers blood pressure. Are you too busy to exercise? Just
15 minutes of skipping vigorously 4 times a week is enough, surely you can
manage that! No more excuses!
6.
LIMIT ALCOHOL:
Alcohol if taken in moderation has some
health benefits, many people do not take it in moderation! Excess alcohol
damages the kidneys causing them to work less and leads to fluid retention in
the body. This fluid in turn raises blood volume and pressure in the body. My advice
is to never drink more than 2 glasses of wine and 1 bottle of beer a day.
7.
LEARN TO RELAX:
Just living in this modern world is enough
to raise your stress levels. Challenges at work coupled with weight, alcohol
etc causes your body to release adrenalin to cope. This in turn kicks your body
into overdrive sending blood pumping at high pressure. Now imagine your body
going through this day after day, week after week, year after year. Something’s
got to give! When you are feeling stressed out, learn to walk away, take a deep
breath and relax. Do not take the problems and provocations or life too
seriously, also learn to laugh and slow down your pace of activity, that’s the key.
8.
MONITOR YOUR BLOOD PRESSURE! :
Though this point comes last, this is
actually your first line of defense against hypertension. If you do not know
your blood pressure, how can you make the lifestyle choices necessary to
maintain good health? Please do invest in a home blood pressure monitor, they
are affordable and by keeping track you will be on your way to a healthier life.
All we need is the dedication and will power to succeed.
Do have a wonderful day.
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