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*High Blood Pressure And You*

11K views 2 replies 2 participants last post by  Terrie 
#1 · (Edited)
The link between diabetes and blood pressure:

High blood pressure is twice as likely to strike a person with diabetes than a person without diabetes. Left untreated, high blood pressure can lead to increased risk for heart disease and stroke. In fact, a person with diabetes and high blood pressure is four times as likely to develop heart disease than someone who does not have either of the conditions. About 73 percent of adults with diabetes have blood pressure greater than or equal to 130/80 mm Hg or use prescription medications for hypertension.

What is high blood pressure?

Blood pressure is the force of the blood pushing against the artery walls. Each time the heart beats, it is pumping blood into these arteries - resulting in the highest blood pressure when the heart contracts and is pumping the blood. High blood pressure, or hypertension, directly increases the risk of coronary heart disease (heart attack) and stroke (brain attack). With high blood pressure, the arteries may have an increased resistance against the flow of blood, causing the heart to pump harder to circulate the blood.

Two numbers are used to measure blood pressure. The higher number, the systolic pressure, refers to the pressure inside the artery when the heart contracts and is pumping the blood through the body. The lower number, the diastolic pressure, refers to the pressure inside the artery when the heart is at rest and is filling with blood. Both the systolic and diastolic pressures are recorded as "mm Hg" (millimeters of mercury). This recording represents how high the mercury column is raised by the pressure of your blood.

According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), high blood pressure for adults is defined as:

-140 mm Hg or greater systolic pressure

and

-90 mm Hg or greater diastolic pressure

In an update of NHLBI guidelines for hypertension in 2003, a new blood pressure category was added called prehypertension:

-120 mm Hg – 139 mm Hg systolic pressure

and

-80 mm Hg – 89 mm Hg diastolic pressure

The new NHLBI guidelines now define normal blood pressure as follows:

-Less than 120 mm Hg systolic pressure

and

-Less than 80 mm Hg diastolic pressure

What are the symptoms of high blood pressure?

Often, persons with high blood pressure do not have noticeable symptoms. If the blood pressure is greatly elevated, an individual may experience the following. However, each individual may experience symptoms differently.

Symptoms may include:

-headache
-dizziness
-blurred vision

The symptoms of high blood pressure may resemble other medical conditions or problems. Always consult your physician for a diagnosis.

To help prevent the onset of high blood pressure:

-Reduce salt intake.
-Learn to relax.
-Exercise regularly.
-Maintain a reasonable weight.
-Consume alcohol in moderation.
-Stop smoking.
-Monitor blood pressure.

Uncontrolled high blood pressure can be harmful to your body and can:

-damage the walls of your arteries, possibly causing tears or bulges (aneurysms) in the arteries of the brain, heart, kidneys, abdomen, legs and eyes
-speed up hardening of your arteries
-lead to an enlarged heart and heart failure.

Artery damage and hardening of the arteries can cause:

-heart disease and heart attacks
-strokes
-kidney failure
-loss of eye sight
-reduced blood supply to the brain
aneurysms.

Is there anything I can do to lower my blood pressure?

If your doctor prescribes medication for your high blood pressure, make sure you take it as directed. Don't skip or increase a dose or stop taking your medication without checking with your doctor first.

A healthy lifestyle is important for anyone with hypertension. Some tips for a healthy lifestyle include:

-Stop using products containing nicotine, such as cigarettes, cigars, pipe tobacco, chewing tobacco, snuff and nicotine-containing gum.
-Reduce your exposure to second-hand smoke.
-Limit your alcohol intake to no more than two standard drinks per day for men, and one drink for women.
-Spend time on things you enjoy doing and being with people you like being with.
-Manage the stress in your life by figuring out what situations make you feel stressed and find ways to avoid these situations.
-Maintain a healthy weight by eating healthy foods and enjoying physical activity most days of the week. If you're overweight, losing 8-10 pounds can significantly reduce blood pressure.

Should I be eating certain foods to control my blood pressure?

The DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension)eating plan is the most often-used dietary method of reducing high blood pressure. Using DASH, your overall diet should be rich in nutrients including potassium, calcium, magnesium and fibre, while being low in sodium, saturated fat and total fat.

This eating plan suggests that you:

-enjoy at least 5 servings of fruit and vegetables every day
-choose at least 2 servings of lower-fat dairy products each day
-choose whole grain breads, cereals and baked goods
-limit the salt and condiments that you add to your food, both at the table and while cooking
-limit eating greasy snack foods, regular soft drinks, candy and other high-sugar, high-fat and salty snack foods
-eat fats such as canola and olive oil, peanut butter and nuts, but keep the quantities small.


Treatment for high blood pressure:

Specific treatment for high blood pressure will be determined by your physician based on:

-your age, overall health, and medical history
extent of the disease
-your tolerance for specific medications, procedures, or therapies
expectations for the course of the disease
-your opinion or preference

Aside from taking preventive measures such as exercise, a balanced diet, and eliminating smoking, treatment also may include medications prescribed by your physician.
 
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#2 ·
The basic things regarding blood pressure are known to me and thats one reason I quit my smoking. However I want to know if the blood pressure can elevate during the period when a person is in a state of anger. Basically this happened to me, there was a heated argument with one of my colleague and immediately after that my pressure reading suggested 160/110. Later on this came to normal. So tell me is there anything to worry about or was it just because of the rise in temper?
 
#3 · (Edited)
Hello and Welcome.

To answer your question: Yes, anger can raise your blood pressure.
So can being overwhelmed with Happiness, stress, etc.

I had a panic attack and I went to emergency. My blood pressure
was 177/92. I've never been that high and haven't been since.
My blood pressure was 118/80 the last time I was at my Drs. That
is around my normal.

Some People get "white coat syndrome". Which is, when some
People visit their Drs., their blood pressure rises. Fear of Drs.
sometimes.

As long as a Person's blood pressure goes back down to normal
after the emotion has subsided.

Age, weight, height also can vary a Person's blood pressure.
Not everyone is 120/80, but with some variance are still healthy
blood pressure-wise.

Of course, it is not Good for the person if high emotion happens
too often.

I know it may be difficult but try to breathe in slowly and then
out slowly several times to keep yourself calmer while your
colleague is expressing(arguing) his point.

Always keep your Drs. appointments so he can keep track
of your vitals.

Good job on quitting smoking. I'm with you there. ;)



Stress, anger, etc. can also raise most Diabetics blood sugar.
 
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