Categories: General

What are the Causes of High Blood Pressure?

What is High Blood Pressure?

Do you suddenly feel that your neck and shoulders are tingling with painful sensations, you sometimes become red with anger; you are getting irritated at every small incident, and you are having frequent headaches? You probably may have high blood pressure or hypertension. Hypertension or High Blood pressure is a very common disease which occurs if your blood pressure readings are constantly 140 over 90, or higher, over some consecutive weeks. If you have high blood pressure for a long time, then this can cause great stress on your heart, your blood vessels and brain over a period and increase the risk of a heart attack or a stroke. So what may be the high blood pressure causes and how can they be cured? This article would take about high blood pressure causes and symptoms. How they can be avoided and prevented?

What causes High Blood Pressure?

There may be some reasons for high blood pressure causes. Most people have no single cause for high blood pressure. Some of the most common causes of high blood pressure are:

  • Too much of stress in daily life
  • Change in food habits and eating cycles
  • Tension
  • Hereditary factors
  • Overweight and obesity
  • Lack of physical activity
  • Excess smoking
  • Too much of salt in the diet
  • Aging
  • Too much of alcohol
  • Kidney problems

Apart from that, there are some other factors that may also be the causes of high blood pressure.

What can Cause a sudden Increase in Blood Pressure?

Blood pressure is the measure of the force that the blood wields on your blood vessels and arteries while flowing to the heart. The normal blood pressure range for every person can be considered as 120/80. Any range lower or higher may be a cause of concern for people. So what can be the sudden high blood pressure causes in an individual? There are some reasons that cause a sudden rise in the blood pressure.

  • Stress and Anxiety

    If you suddenly experience severe stress or anxiety, then there may be episodes of increase in blood pressure. Researchers have also shown that when people visit a doctor, their blood pressure remains elevated on normal conditions as they are scared and anxious. Stress triggers the blood pressure levels in the body with hormonal release that causes restriction of the blood vessel.

  • Drugs

    Certain medications can cause an augmentation in blood pressure. Some of these medications comprise of birth control pills that are taken on a regular basis, over the counter medications and nonsteroidal drugs like aspirin. It is thus important to talk to a doctor before consuming any kind of medicine.

  • Too much of Salt Consumption

    Consuming too much of salt, and processed food that contains the high amount of sodium can help in increasing the blood pressure in the body. A heavy meal releases certain hormones into the blood stream that can help in raising the blood pressure.

  • Too much of Alcohol Consumption and Smoking

    Consuming too much of alcohol and smoking can also cause the rise in blood pressure levels in the body. They spike the levels of blood pressure in the body.

What are the Causes of High Blood Pressure in Young Adults?

Did you know, high blood pressure is more common in young adults? That is because of a number of reasons. If you feel that you are under 35, but your blood pressure range is higher than required, you should take the advice of a doctor. High Blood pressure is common among adults because of their changing lifestyles, irregular life cycles and eating habits, more intake of junk food, less of sleep, drinking and smoking and other associated causes. Researchers have also shown that 19% of young adults are seen to have high blood pressure. Young women usually tend to have high blood pressure during their gestation period, after pregnancy, diet, and drugs as well.

What Foods Cause High Blood Pressure?

Did you know that certain food products can actually affect the levels of blood pressure in your body? There are a number of foods that can trigger the blood pressure level in your body. The foods to avoid for high blood pressure are the following.

  • Too much of spicy food
  • Food like butter and margarine
  • Processed foods that are rich in sodium and potassium content
  • Red meat
  • Junk food and fast food
  • Canned soups
  • Deli meat
  • Regular salad dressings that comprise of mayonnaise
  • Whole milk dairy products

There are however Certain Foods to eat for High Blood Pressure that is Good for Controlling the Pressure as well as the Heart. They are following

  • Lean poultry meat, skinless chicken, and turkey meat
  • Yoghurt
  • Fruits and vegetables which are high in mineral content
  • Skimmed milk products
  • Plain rice, potatoes, and pasta
  • Lower salt intake

These food products can lower blood pressure by a great deal.

Does Stress Cause High Blood Pressure?

Stress and high blood pressure have a strong connection with each other. Reducing stress can actually help you to reduce blood pressure and too much stress can cause your blood pressure levels to rise coherently. Exercising for 3 to 5 times in a week on a 30 minutes regular basis can reduce the stress levels of your body and in turn reduce blood pressure as well.

How to Prevent High Blood Pressure?

Prevention of high blood pressure is a must if you realize that you are suffering from the same. If you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, it is not the end of the world. Blood pressure can be significantly reduced if you follow a disciplined lifestyle regularly

  • Look out for your waistline and try and lose all those extra pounds as increase in weight can increase blood pressure
  • Try exercising on a regular basis
  • Eat a healthy diet which is rich in fruits and vegetables
  • Reduce sodium intake in your diet
  • Cut down on all kinds of processed and junk foods and alcohol.

Following these above steps diligently can actually help curb the high blood pressure causes forever and help you lead a fit and a healthy life.

Medically Reviewed By
Dr. Kaushal M. Bhavsar (MBBS, MD)Assistant Professor in Pulmonary Medicine, GMERS Medical College, Ahmedabad
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Published by
Abhishek Chatterjee

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