Reasons for High Blood Pressure or Hypertension

What are the reasons for high blood pressure?

High blood pressure, or hypertension, is something that few people understand. Most people know that high blood pressure is a problem but don’t understand the reasons for the condition and what it can do to your body.

It is a common misconception that high blood pressure is something that affects only those who are older or obese, but the reality is that while our blood pressure does increase a little with age, high blood pressure can happen to anyone regardless of their age, sex or size. And high blood pressure can lead to heart attacks, stroke or kidney failure.

From a technical perspective, the reasons for high blood pressure are mostly unknown. Hypertension with no apparent cause is referred to as ‘primary hypertension’, while high blood pressure that is a result of an underlying condition like kidney disease is called ‘secondary hypertension’. The majority of hypertension cases are primary in nature.

Even though the reasons for high blood pressure are not always known, there are many controllable factors that can play a role in elevating your blood pressure, putting you at risk of the conditions mentioned above. Some of these include:

• Stress has long been known to elevate blood pressure and contribute to various health conditions, such as heart disease, stroke, cancer and more.
  
  
• High fat diets can contribute to clogged arteries and various other heart-related conditions that can cause high blood pressure and more.
  
  
• Excess weight is a killer! It puts you at risk for all kinds of conditions and specifically increases blood pressure by putting excess pressure on your arteries, which can cause serious and irreversible damage.
  
  
• A sedentary lifestyle over time can lead you to be fatigued by even the slightest movement, which causes your heart to work overtime with each contraction.
  
  
• Sleep apnea causes a serious amount of stress on your heart, lungs and body overall.
  
  
• Drug abuse is known to cause high blood pressure and other damage to the body.
  
  
• Excessive alcohol has been known to damage artery walls and lead to heart disease.
  
  
• A diet high in sodium causes water retention, which is known to cause hypertension. The fact that modern day diets, especially those high in processed foods, contain so much sodium salt is one of the reasons for high blood pressure being so common today.
  
  
• Smoking increases your risk of heart disease, stroke and other diseases.
  
  
• A family history of hypertension is often noted in cases of high blood pressure.
  
  
• Potassium deficiency can cause elevated sodium levels which, as mentioned, can be responsible for an increase in blood pressure.
  
  
• Other diseases and conditions such as diabetes, kidney disease and thyroid conditions.
  
  
• Oral contraceptives have been shown to cause increased blood pressure in some women.

Many people who have high blood pressure are often unaware of it. While high blood pressure can cause symptoms such as headaches, dizziness and shortness of breath, it is often asymptomatic, meaning that many people have no symptoms at all. Confirming hypertension requires visiting your health practitioner or local pharmacy for a series of blood pressure readings, usually five.

Knowing the reasons for high blood pressure can help you to manage it naturally before it gets too out of hand. By opting to live a healthier lifestyle that is more active and free of unnecessary toxins and chemicals, you can take charge of your health and ultimately your own destiny and get your blood pressure in check.

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